A Palestinian from the West Bank has been arrested on suspicion of murdering Esther Horgan, a mother of six from settlement of Tal Menashe, the Shin Bet security service said Thursday.
The details of the investigation are still under gag order.
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Esther Horgan, left, was last seen Sunday going for a run near her home
(Photo: Gil Nehushtan)
Horgan's body found in a forest near her home in the early hours of Monday, after she was killed in a violent attack that left her skull broken.
Horgan left her home on Tal Menashe on Sunday afternoon for a jog in a nearby forest and did not return, prompting her husband to contact the authorities.
Security forces launched a manhunt Monday morning in an effort to find the perpetrator.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the murder, vowing Israel would hunt down her killers.
Benjamin Horgan, the victim's husband, praised the security forces for their work in tracking down the accused killer.
"We were sure this moment would come sooner or later. The security forces have done an excellent job and we have complete faith in them and in the judicial system and expect justice to be done," he said.
President Reuven Rivlin paid a condolence call to the grieving family Thursday, saying he had been reading about Esther and was deeply moved by her positive spirit.
Benjamin told that president that his wife always saw the best in people. “She did not just work at it, she also lived the meaning of seeing the good in every person and believed in it,” he said.
Odelia, their oldest daughter, told the president of her special connection with her mother.
“My mother was my best friend. She was my backbone," she said. "She was there for everything I needed.”
Benjamin told the president his family did not seek revenge for the brutal murder of his wife, but did hope that her death would move the government to expand construction in their settlement.
Horgan's neighbor Silvie Ovadia, who participated in the search for the missing woman, said the searches for her began around 2pm Sunday and lasted into the night.
"It was clear that something wasn't right, that something bad had happened," Ovadia said.
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Security forces at the scene of Esther Horgan's murder earlier this week
(Photo: Ido Erez)
Horgan's relative Haim Feldman also told Ynet that it took her family a while to realize that something awful might have happened to her.
"She's used to walking a lot here in the area, sometimes with a friend, sometimes by herself," he said.
"No one else was home either, so it took a long time until it became clear that she was actually missing."