Waiting for bodies affects families

FAMILIES of murdered victims can be very badly affected by having to wait until the bodies of their loved ones are released into their care by the authorities.

Finola Minch of Victim Support said the waiting sometimes added to the families’ agony.

“They feel the body is alone; there’s nobody minding it. It can be a very traumatic time for families,” she said. “Their minds are racing all the time wondering what happened to their loved one and wanting desperately to see the body for themselves.”

Victim Support helps families of murder victims through the court process and has found that some families have been greatly upset because they were prevented from seeing the body until the post mortem was over.

“It is a situation that is very difficult to cope with even though the post mortem is necessary to get whatever evidence is available to aid the investigation,” she said.

The violent death of a loved one caused particular distress, but sometimes it helps the bereaved to talk to someone outside the family.

Victim Support has trained volunteers who understand how difficult it can be sorting out the practicalities while coping with such a tragic loss. Their Families of Murder Victims Service can advise on the investigation process; the coroner’s inquest and the court trial.

Volunteers are also available to give support on a regular basis over a period of time, as an individual or as a family group.

Whenever a murder is committed, Victim Support contacts the garda officer in charge of the case and arranges to send him or her an information pack.

“We will never approach the family, because we think that is an intrusion,” she said. It is up to the garda officer to consider when it is appropriate to give the information pack to the family. Then it is entirely up to the family to decide whether they want to contact Victim Support.

The Family of Murder Victims Service also deals with the families of victims even in cases where the killer has never been found.

“As well as information we offer emotional support to these families and the service is both free and confidential,” she added. “Each family experiences bereavement differently. It is a hugely traumatic time for them so we have to be very, very careful as to how we approach them.”

There is no limit to the support offered by Victim Support to families, she said.

“It is not just one visit. We can see them as many times as they want.”