'We don’t know what Christy died from, and we don’t know when we will know'

John Collopy Ferns, Co Wexford, with a photograph of his brother Christy Collopy who died unexpectedly in Limerick. photography: Patrick Browne

Coroners are warning delays in getting test results from the State Laboratory are leaving grieving families in limbo for months at a time and could impact criminal proceedings.

Months-long turnaround times for toxicology test results of people who have died unexpectedly are compounding distress caused by delayed autopsies due to lack of staffing. Inquests have also been increasingly postponed because of under-resourced coroners' offices.