Homeless woman found in Phoenix Park was stabbed

Gardaí realised a homeless woman found dead in Phoenix Park had been stabbed when they lifted her top and saw her wounds, an inquest heard.

Eugenia Bratis, aged 50, was found by passersby at a wooded area off Military Rd in the park on August 5, 2009.

Dublin Coroner’s Court heard that she had been stabbed multiple times.

Ms Bratis, a Romanian mother of two, had been back and forth to Ireland since April 2008. It is not known how long she was living rough in Phoenix Park.

Her body was discovered by pensioner Mick Gorey on his daily walk.

Sergeant Aidan Flanagan said that, when he went to the scene, it initially, appeared Ms Bratis, who was wearing a nightdress, had died in her sleep. However, when garda doctor Haroon Khan came to the scene to pronounce death, the duvet and her fleece top were lifted, uncovering the injuries.

Dr Khan estimated that Ms Bratis had been dead for 24 to 48 hours before she was discovered.

The inquest heard that she was identified following an extensive media appeal and using DNA profiling from her son and daughter.

The autopsy was carried out by deputy State pathologist Michael Curtis, who found that Ms Bratis died from multiple stab wounds injuring her lungs, heart and kidney. There were no injuries indicating that Ms Bratis had defended herself.

Detective Inspector Colm Murphy said the investigation into Ms Bratis’s death is ongoing and “active”. More than 430 statements have been taken and officers have travelled to Romania to carry out inquiries there. No file has gone to the director of public prosecutions in the matter. Det Insp Murphy appealed for two unidentified men present on the day to come forward to help with inquiries.

The jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing by a person or persons unknown.