Double child deaths mystery

THE tragic deaths of two children on opposite sides of the country are under garda investigation today.

In Dublin, the body of a baby boy was found in waste taken from an industrial estate construction site at lunchtime yesterday.

The full-term baby showed no outward signs of injury and it is believed he was left at the industrial estate on Thursday or Friday.

The boy was thought to be a couple of days old. The estate is surrounded by housing and gardaí hope a local may have seen something which could help them in their investigation.

In Donegal, the results of a postmortem examination on the body of seven-year-old Ronagh Young were awaited as mystery surrounded the cause of her death. Garda forensic experts yesterday sealed off the Young’s family home. Ronagh died suddenly at Letterkenny Hospital on Wednesday, a day after she was brought there by her father Gilbert.

Ronagh, the second youngest of a family of eight from Leck Cottages in Letterkenny, had earlier been taken to doctors apparently suffering flu-like symptoms. Deputy State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy carried out a postmortem examination on her remains in Dublin on Thursday night but initial results were inconclusive.

The cause of death may now be known until toxicology reports return early next week. Ronagh’s remains were returned to her family at Letterkenny Hospital last night. But her distraught parents, Gilbert and Anne, were believed to be considering seeking an independent post mortem.

The couple’s other children, two boys and five girls aged four to 16, were being cared for by neighbours and friends. Some of the children were reported to have suffered from a vomiting bug recently but the North Western Health Board said it was not treating the case as a public health issue and there was no cause for worry about other youngsters in the locality.

Spokeswoman Ann McCloone said the Young family was being offered all available support.

In Dublin last night, Dr Cassidy was carrying out a post-mortem examination on the body of the baby found in waste taken from a vacant lot in the Newtown Industrial Estate in Coolock in the city.

The baby was discovered by a truck driver when he unloaded construction waste from the estate at a private landfill site at New Barn, Killsallaghan, near Swords in north Co Dublin. Both scenes were preserved for examination as gardaí appealed for the mother of the child to come forward.

Supt Noel McLoughlin of Coolock also asked friends or relatives of the mother who might be aware of her plight to contact them. “It’s a very tragic case and I would be very concerned for the mother,” he said.

Earlier in the day, gardaí arrested four photographers and a reporter who were attempting to report on the tragedy at the scene. All five were later released without charge.