Gardaí to conduct excavation as part of death probe

GardaI investigating the death of a woman who went missing over 30 years ago are to lead an excavation of land around the psychiatric institution where she had been an in-patient.

Mother of seven Alice Clifford was 57 years old when she vanished from St Loman's Hospital in Dublin on November 28, 1979.

The Dublin County Coroner was due to hear the inquest into her death today.

Dr Kieran Geraghty instead adjourned the hearing until November in light of new evidence to his office in recent days.

Staff received a call to say that a trench dug on St Loman's hospital land had been filled in the day Ms Clifford went missing.

Much of the hospital has changed since 1979 and gardaí say they will first have to identify the site in question.

They intend to begin excavation work in the coming weeks.