Police on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius said Tuesday they were dealing with the death of a Gaelic football star's wife during their honeymoon as murder.

Michaela Harte, a 27-year-old teacher, was found dead in her luxury hotel room on Monday by her husband, John McAreavey. A post-mortem revealed the former beauty queen had been strangled.

Mauritius Police Force Superintendent Yoosoof Soopun said Tuesday that officers had identified six potential suspects. He said police believe robbery might have been a motive and were questioning hotel staff.

Soopun said McAreavey was in the restaurant of the hotel when his wife was killed and is not a suspect.

"She had gone back to the room to get some biscuits to put in her tea, and when she failed to return, her husband went to look for her," Soopun said."When he found her in the room, she had been killed. He tried to help her, but she was already dead." He said the killer used an electronic key card to enter the room.

"This is being viewed with much concern by the police and the government of Mauritius," Soopun said. "We are doing everything we can to find whoever was responsible. The inquiry is progressing, and we are confident it will reach a successful conclusion."

Harte was the daughter of one of the best-known figures in Irish sports, Tyrone Gaelic football manager Mickey Harte. Michaela Harte taught Irish at St Patrick's Girls Academy in Dungannon, County Tyrone, in Northern Ireland. She won the Ulster Rose of Tralee contest and was a former Rose of Tralee contestant.

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