Twins died from cocktail of drugs, inquest hears

A mother yesterday told of a heartbreaking prayer she whispered over the bodies of her identical twin sons, after finding them dead at their rented apartment

Margaret Moran, of Old Cork Rd, Limerick, recalled the grim discovery at an inquest into the deaths of her sons, Peter and Kevin Moran, aged 28.

As they had not been in contact with her for some days, she decided to go to their apartment as she had a “gut feeling” something was wrong.

On being allowed into the apartment by the letting agent, she found the bodies of Peter and Kevin on the floor lying side by side.

Limerick city coroner, John McNamara, recorded a verdict of misadventure into both deaths after being told the twins died from a cocktail of drugs.

Ms Moran said the twins were the youngest of her six children and she became concerned after she had not heard from them for a week. On the afternoon of May 9, she went with a friend to their apartment at Steamboat Quay, in the city centre.

On entering the apartment, she found both her sons lying dead on the sitting room floor with their arms outstretched side by side.

“I knew they were dead and I said a prayer, the Our Father, over them,” she said.

Garda Karen Byrne was on duty with Sgt John Flanagan when they got a call to go to the apartment building.

Garda Byrne said that, on meeting Mrs Moran, she took her into a spare bedroom and then to a nearby hotel, while an ambulance and doctor attended the scene.

Marie Cassidy, the state pathologist, said autopsies on the twins showed they had died from identical lethal cocktails of drugs, including heroin, ecstasy, and anti-depressants.

There were signs that Kevin had also smoked some heroin.

Prof Cassidy said one of the drugs, an anti-depressant, was particularly nasty when mixed with other drugs such as those found in the bodies.

She said the twins were dead for two days and could have lapsed into unconsciousness 24 hours prior to death.

Both were lying side by side in an unusual position, and she could not rule out the possibility that another person had been present at some stage and moved one of the bodies. There was no evidence of any assault.

Insp Luke Conlon said gardaí were satisfied there were no suspicious circumstances.

Recording a verdict of misadventure, the coroner said he could not imagine what Ms Moran and her family had gone through over the deaths of two “good young men”.

He said the verdict was appropriate as neither of the twins intended to die.