Remains of elderly woman identified

HUMAN remains found on a Co Wicklow headland were yesterday confirmed as those of an elderly woman who went missing from a nearby nursing home more than two years ago.

The discovery in dense undergrowth on the side of Bray Head was made late on Tuesday afternoon by a local resident.

Gardaí yesterday said dental analysis confirmed the body was that of Alzheimer’s sufferer Maura Reynolds, 78, who vanished from a local care centre on Christmas night in 2005.

A Garda spokesman said: “The examination of the body did not indicate any signs of physical trauma.

“An investigation file is being prepared for the Dublin City Coroner, who will carry out an inquest in due course. The family have been informed,” he said.

Ms Reynolds’ relatives visited the scene where her remains were found, at a remote ravine on the side of the headland overlooking the Irish Sea.

The pensioner, who was also suffering from cancer, went missing from the care home on Putland Road — less than half a mile from Bray Head — after returning from a family gathering on Christmas Day.

Huge searches around the town’s seafront were scaled down almost a month after the disappearance and the elderly pensioner was presumed dead.

Superintendent Michael Lernihan of Bray Garda Station said the scene of the find had been searched at the time of the disappearance but he highlighted its remote and inaccessible location.

The owners of the care home, Paul and Anne Costello, were fined €2,000 at Bray District Court in January this year after pleading guilty to failing to ensure residents’ welfare and wellbeing.

Ms Reynolds was originally from Donegal, but lived in Sandyford, Co Dublin, before moving into the nursing home 18 months before her disappearance.