Gardaí trace movements of murdered 20-year-old

Gardaí are examining CCTV footage and are re-interviewing witnesses in a bid to piece together the final movements of murdered 20-year-old Silvestras Stoskus.

Sat, 21 Mar, 2015 - 00:00

Conor Ryan

Senior officers said they were “making progress” in their investigation, following the discovery of the Lithuanian man’s body in a field in Cornmucklagh, Broadford, Co Kildare, on Wednesday.

Gardaí have declined to reveal the results of a postmortem, but sources indicate he suffered head and neck injuries and what are thought to be restraint wounds.

While gardaí are following a number of lines of inquiry, they are understood to be exploring reports he may have owed a criminal a drugs debt.

Some witnesses have told gardaí he was seen as recently as March 18, just before his body was discovered.

Gardaí are conducting interviews again with witnesses to determine a timeline of his movements, where he was last seen and if he was with anyone else.

Ms Stoskus was last seen by his family at their home in Bun Daire estate in Kinnegad, Co Westmeath, on March 8. His mother, Vilma, and other family members were very concerned for his safety. Gardaí are harvesting CCTV footage in Kinnegad to see if there are any sightings.

The area under investigation spread to Offaly on Thursday night when gardaí followed up some information.

They found items of clothing in a laneway beside the Grand Canal in Edenderry. A technical examination was being conducted yesterday.

Meanwhile, the man whose body was found in the back garden of a house in Waterford city on Thursday died as a result of a fall, a postmortem examination has revealed.

However, gardaí have not yet ruled out foul play being committed against the man, named as 54-year-old Danny McAllister who was originally from Belfast. He had been living at Francis Street.