No dignity even in death
GLEAMING like a new pin in the dazzling January sunshine, there was nothing in its appearance to suggest the town of Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, was yesterday buckling under a dark tale.
But as you got closer, the image changed. Driving into the council house estate of Cluain Dara, in the Gimont area of the town, a gaggle of women, babies and buggies had congregated outside one particular house. Number 37 was the scene of what had brought them all outdoors. It was here that 59-year-old Enniscorthy native Evelyn Joel, née Connolly, had lain for months in her bed, seemingly starving to death.
Through the window of her upstairs bedroom a member of the garda forensics team, Garda Tom Dunphy, was plain for all to see in his white boiler suit. Under the watchful eye of a tiny statue of the Virgin Mary perched on the windowsill, he carried out a technical examination of the box room where Evelyn is believed to have spent the last few months of her life. Outside, two plastic Santas, remnants of the festive season, clambered up the front of the pebble-dashed, semi-detached house, hinting at the presence of children inside. A 1988 navy Wexford-registered Escort estate occupied the drive; to the right, a rather large side garden acted as a parking lot for a 1996 Kilkenny-registered Opel. An empty clothesline could be seen in a garden to the rear.
Inside the house, Det Sgt Terry Butler, Det Sgt Dermot Saunders and Sgt Brendan Moore assisted Garda Dunphy in his work. Curtains in the downstairs and in one of the upstairs windows were drawn; smoke billowed from the chimney. The family, the neighbours said, were at home.
The family in question included 31-year-old Eleanor Joel, daughter of the now deceased Evelyn, Eleanor's partner John Costan, 34, and their two young children, a boy and girl, believed to be aged three and two respectively. A third child, neighbours said, is on the way. Both Eleanor and John were thought to be unemployed. Local people described them as socially active. Eleanor had a keen interest in bingo, both were relatively outgoing and seemed to enjoy life. "There were no outward signs of their being dysfunctional. For all intents and purposes, they were a normal family, the children well-cared for, all of them neat and tidy," one observer said.
But not every one knew what lay beneath. What emerged on Tuesday suggests what was taking place in number 37, Cluain Dara, an estate officially opened by then Environment Minister Martin Cullen in April 2004, was far from normal.
Eleanor had moved there in November 2004 and shortly afterwards, her mother came to live with her.
Evelyn had been married to Billy Joel, a local bricklayer and a first cousin of Evelyn's, which had caused a split in the family. They had two children: Liam, now in his late 20s, and Eleanor. Billy and Evelyn separated some years ago.
Evelyn was the daughter of Nellie and Matt Connolly, a very popular couple in the area. Matt, a small-time building contractor, had represented Ireland internationally in fishing and clay-pigeon shooting. Evelyn had three sisters, Kathleen, Margaret and Maureen and three brothers Tom, Michael and John, but the latter had passed away about two years ago.
After her split with Billy, Evelyn had stayed in various flats and houses, spending a time in Arklow. When her daughter was allocated a house in November 2004, Eleanor came to live with her shortly afterwards. Her extended family - her brothers and sisters - it seems were not encouraged to visit, despite a number of requests to do so.
At some stage, Evelyn developed multiple sclerosis, but the onset of this debilitating illness is believed to have commenced before she moved into the house. It seems neighbours were unaware of her presence, explaining their bewilderment when the story of Evelyn's tragic end emerged. "The first we knew of her living next door to us was when we heard she had died in Wexford General Hospital after being taken from the house, supposedly half-starved," one neighbour said.
It was a doctor working with Caredoc who alerted the authorities to Evelyn's appalling condition on New Year's Eve after being summoned to Cluain Dara. It is not yet known who made the call. A neighbour said Evelyn had not seen the GP with whom she was registered for more than six months. The visiting doctor immediately raised the alarm and Evelyn was removed to Wexford General, but not before the emergency team had "gowned up", such was the emaciated state she was in.
It is understood the hospital team who received her also had to "gown up" and she couldn't be brought in through casualty for fear of infection. One local said Evelyn was covered in bedsores, lying in her own excrement and infested by maggots at the time of her removal to hospital.
Her death followed one week later, on December 7, and she was transferred to Waterford Regional Hospital for a post mortem to be carried out. One source said the local pathologist insisted the State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy be summoned when he saw the state of the body. Following the post mortem, the results of which have not been made public, a garda investigation was launched. It will take place in tandem with an inquiry by the Health Service Executive South Eastern Area into the circumstances surrounding Evelyn's death.
As the sun set on Cluain Dara last evening, and children horsed around in the playground on the green, a stranger passing through would spot nothing amiss. But those who reside in the area were left wondering if things will ever be the same again.
OVER the years, many elderly people have been dead for long periods before their bodies were discovered.
* Last Christmas, a 62-year-old woman's body was found in her County Antrim home. It's believed Mary McLaughlin, who died from natural causes, may have been dead for two to three weeks.
* In July 2000, three middle-aged sisters and their elderly aunt were found dead in their home in Leixlip, County Kildare. Their bodies had been there for between two weeks and a month until a landlord, looking for his rent, turned up. An inquest was told they had starved themselves to death in a bid to die together and move on to what they believed would be a better place.
* In August 2003, a 70-year-old woman's body was found decomposing in a bedroom in County Mayo. It's believed Agnes Lyons' body was there for up to a year. Ms Lyons, who lived with her elderly brother and sister, died from natural causes. Her brother Sonny said he didn't know she was dead.
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