Identification of remains at Tuam mother and baby home 'could take years'

Consultant forensic anthropologist and human remains specialist René Gapert was addressing the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors. Picture: Human Remains Services Ireland

The identification of remains at the Tuam mother and baby home site could take years to complete, according to a leading forensic anthropologist.

Dr René Gapert of Human Remains Services Ireland said the process is not as simple as exhuming the remains and identifying them with DNA.

He was speaking at the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors in Killarney.

In relation to Tuam, he said: “I think what is mostly concentrated on in the public is always excavation, [and] DNA analysis. But there is so much in between and that is not being touched upon.” 

He said “individualisation” would have to take place before any DNA can be applied. He explained that would involve separating the remains into individuals, and identifying the age and gender of the remains.

“It would be very laborious," he added. "It will take time because we have a lot of the same age groups. It will just take time.” 

Historian Catherine Corless, left, was presented with the Irish Red Cross lifetime achievement award this week by the organisation's secretary general, Catrina Sheridan. Picture: Andrew Downes/Xposure

He said that after the full excavation of the site, storage of remains would be required while the process of putting the remains together and identifying them takes place.

He said an appropriate environment such as a mortuary, or a temporary mortuary, would be required, adding: “There has to be structures in place of where this investigation is taking place. Once you have individualised the remains as much as you can, what part are you going to target for DNA because not everything will be useful so you have to target it. A lot of planning has to go into that.” 

He stressed however that the process “is fully doable” but said: “How doable depends on what is put into place to help you doing it.” 

He said staffing and expertise need to be in place for such an undertaking.

He was speaking following the airing on Tuesday night of a documentary on RTÉ and ITV called The Missing Children, examining the stories of people who spent time at the mother and baby home in Tuam.

In the Dáil on Tuesday, Independent TD and Leas Ceann Comhairle Catherine Connolly said that the “sterling work” of historian Catherine Corless revealed that there are 796 death certificates related to the Tuam mother and baby home. 

However, she said: “We do not know if that number of children and babies are buried there. 

We do not just need to excavate the site to rebury them, which is extremely important; we also need to excavate to examine. It is time we grew up in this country and analysed and examined what happened so that we can look and learn from it.  

A preliminary excavation has taken place at the site by forensic archaeologists in 2016 and 2017. The work uncovered human remains in a vault on the site.

The proposed Burials Bill which would legislate for the exhumations of the children buried at the Tuam home, is expected to be published by the end of the current parliamentary session, according to the Taoiseach, Mícheál Martin.