Gardaí identify body found in Connemara eight years ago

Gardai have identified the body of man found dead in Connemara almost eight years ago after several international appeals.

Gardaí have identified the body of man found dead in Connemara almost eight years ago after several international appeals.

German national Arno Schmitz' remains were found on the shores of Lough Inagh in December 2006.

A post mortem revealed there was no evidence of injury or trauma on his body.

His identification involved significant investigative work by Gardaí in Galway in collaboration with national and international agencies and experts.

When the body was found, there was a small holdall bag beside it with a Pink Grapefruit flavour fruit juice carton and a pair of Rayban sunglasses with a cleaning cloth with the name of a shop in Neumunster in Germany.

But inquiries there revealed nothing.

Gardaí in Galway established the fruit juice drink could only have been available in shops from November 2005 and had a shelf life of 52 days.

In July of this year a picture using facial reconstruction technology was distributed in the Neumunster area and Mr Schmitz's bother made contact with police, telling them that his brother Arno had emigrated to Ireland in the end of September 2005 and he had last spoken to him by phone that December.

Dental records were matched to the remains by a forensic dentist using the charting done in the original post mortem.

DNA samples from Arno's brother were also taken and earlier this week the German Authorities informed Bernd Schmitz that the remains of his brother had been found.