Gardaí appeal for witnesses after decapitated and armless body found on grounds of vacant Cork house
Gardaí investigating the gruesome killing of a man whose head and arms were apparently cut off have appealed for witnesses to contact them.
Motorists or pedestrians who used the busy Boreenmanna Road on the southside of Cork city anytime between Christmas Day and Saturday have been asked to contact the investigation team at Anglesea Street garda station, where an incident room has been set up.
The appeal was made as gardaí confirmed that a murder probe is underway following the grim discovery of the remains of a man on the grounds of an unoccupied house on the Boreenmanna Road at around 4pm on Saturday.
The discovery was made by a neighbour who was searching for their missing cat on the grounds of Castlegreina House, a boarded-up detached two-storey house close to the junction with the South Link Rd.
The decapitated and armless body was found in undergrowth to the rear of the property and the scene was sealed off. Following a search of the grounds, the missing limbs were found later.
Speaking at a press conference outside the property today, Supt Michael Comyns, who is overseeing the investigation, declined to comment on the nature of the man's injuries, other than to confirm the deceased suffered "severe injuries".
He said speculation about the nature of the injuries was unhelpful to the garda probe and he said gardaí are still working to establish the identity of the victim, using DNA and fingerprints.
However, it is understood that among the lines of inquiry being followed is that the deceased was in his late 40s or early 50s, originally from Cork city, and who was a long-term user of homeless services in the city.
It is understood he had severe alcohol dependency and had been staying in a nearby supported housing project, where he was last seen by staff and fellow residents on Thursday night.
Supt Comyns said gardaí are satisfied that the remains had been at the scene for days, rather than weeks, but he said gardaí have yet to establish if the man died at the scene, or was killed elsewhere.
He issued a specific appeal to pedestrians or motorists, especially those with dash cams, and who travelled along Boreenmanna Rd since Christmas Day, and who may have seen suspicious activity in or around the house to contact them.
"It’s a derelict house. There shouldn’t be anyone in or around the house," he said. "It is a busy road and there is a lot of traffic. It is also a very busy area for people in the locality to walk to the city centre, which is quite close."
"A lot of people in this area here do walk in to the city and we would particularly appeal to those people as well to come forward if they have seen any activity at all around the house since Christmas Day."
The house had been the source of several complaints about anti-social behaviour, including drinking parties, several months ago.
But Supt Comyns said the issues had been dealt with by gardaí and things had quietened down in what is normally a quiet residential area.
This murder probe comes as gardaí in the city continue to investigate the death last October of homeless man, Timmy Hourihane, who was beaten to death outside his tent on Mardyke Walk.
Two men, one in his 30s and one in his 20s, were arrested on December 16 for questioning about that death.
And last July, Santina Cawley, aged two, died after being found with critical injuries at a flats complex at the eastern end of Boreenmanna Rd, just over a kilometre away at Elderwood Park.
A woman who is not related to the child has been charged with murder.
