Askeaton deaths: Cause of deaths not established in Limerick case

The violent deaths of a Co Limerick couple took a new twist last night, as Marie Cassidy, the State pathologist, was unable to identify either victim or the causes of death.

The badly decomposed bodies of the couple, named locally as Thomas Ruttle, 56, and his 63-year-old partner, Julia Holmes, were found by intruders to Mr Ruttle’s home in West Limerick early yesterday.

Gardaí believe the couple may have been dead for two months. A gun was found at the scene.