Post mortem conducted on body of schoolgirl found dead at weekend

A POST MORTEM examination was conducted yesterday on 16-year-old Ciara Gibbs, the schoolgirl who was found dead next to her unconscious mother in their family home in Co Kilkenny on Sunday.

The post mortem was carried out by State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy at Waterford Regional Hospital yesterday, but Gardaí said the result would not be made known at this time for operational reasons.

Ciara’s mother Lynn was described as being in a stable condition in St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny. Gardaí, who have said the death of Ciara Gibbs is as yet unexplained, are understood to be hoping to speak to the girl’s mother once her condition improves. They added that the investigation into Sunday’s tragedy was still “open and on-going”.

Lynn Gibbs has been undergoing treatment at the hospital since she was discovered unconscious, next to her daughter, on the floor of an upstairs room at the house near Gowran.

She was found by her husband, college lecturer Gerard Gibbs, and her 14-year-old son, who had returned from visiting a relative in Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

Both mother and daughter are thought to have spent the previous day in Dublin and were alone in the house on Saturday night.

It is also understood that there were no signs of violence at the detached, two-storey house at Killure between Gowran and Paulstown.

A local man who was driving close to the home on Sunday morning was flagged down by Ciara’s brother. After going to the house, the man contacted a relative who is a pharmacist, and the pharmacist’s wife, who is a nurse. It is understood the pharmacist who went to the aid of the stricken pair was Pierce Healy, whose brother James was shot dead last year.

Attempts to resuscitate Ciara Gibbs were in vain. Lynn Gibbs was taken to St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny. A spokesman for the hospital described her condition yesterday as stable.

Gardaí have said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

The Garda investigation is being headed by Supt Aiden Roche of Thomastown Gardaí, who said the girl’s mother was not in a fit state to be interviewed. Gardaí are liaising with medical professionals regarding her recovery.

A forensic search of the house by members of the Garda Technical Bureau continued yesterday.

The local parish priest, Fr Laurence Malone, said the family were “devastated” by the weekend tragedy. There was speculation in the local community yesterday that mother or daughter may have been suffering from depression.

Yesterday, the principal of Loreto Secondary School in Kilkenny City, which Ciara attended, passed on her condolences to the Gibbs family. Helen Renehan said Ciara was a “beautiful and talented girl”.