Greek police await autopsy results as families prepare to return home

Flowers outside St Michael's College in Dublin, after the deaths of two recent graduates while on holiday on the Greek island of Ios. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Police in Greece have confirmed they are awaiting the results of toxicology reports after autopsies were conducted on the bodies of two Irish teenagers who died at the weekend.

The families of Andrew O’Donnell and Max Wall, the two Leaving Cert students who died while on holiday on the Greek island of Ios, are expected to return home on Thursday.

The 18-year-olds from south Dublin died in separate incidents while holidaying on the small island with their Leaving Cert classmates from St Michaels’ College. The remains of Andrew were found on Sunday and his injuries are described as being consistent with a fall, according to school principal Tim Kelleher.

Max Wall is understood to have died from natural causes. He fell ill on Sunday at 2pm and was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. He had undergone successful heart surgery three years ago.

Their remains were taken by ferry to Athens yesterday morning, where autopsies were conducted.

Police in Athens told the Irish Examiner “At this stage of the preliminary investigation, we are not allowed to publicise details of the investigation. “The results of the forensic examination are awaited”.

Gardaí have confirmed that two members of the force have travelled to Ios “to provide assistance with the ongoing investigations and with the repatriation of both men".

The statement to the Irish Examiner added: “As this is an investigation led by Greek authorities, An Garda Sióchána has no further comment at this time”.

Families return 

At an evening prayer service at St Michaels college, principal Tim Kelleher said Bebhinn and Gavin O'Donnell and Fiona and Niall Wall were due home on Thursday.

He said "We hope to see them here tomorrow (Thursday) evening.

Earlier in the week school chaplain Fr Paddy Moran said he expected that the remains of Andrew and Max would return home with their parents this week.

The college in south Dublin has been holding twice daily prayer services for the families while they are in Greece.

Principal Kelleher told the mass service he had been in regular contact with Andrew and Max’s parents.

He said that both set of parents they "are really concerned for the young men who were on the island, and I think its testament to the two boys that died that the two families are more concerned for other people and their pain and suffering than they do of their own”.

He described how when Andrew’s mother arrived on the island, she “threw her arms around all the boys out there who are absolutely traumatised, who are absolutely exhausted.

"They had been searching, they hadn’t been sleeping. They had been on an emotional rollercoaster for the loss of their friends, Bebhinn went out and consoled them.

“It is a mark of that family and of the Wall family that their concerns were for other people in their darkest hour.

They’ve been on the saddest boat trip that any parent could ever take, and they’ve been on the saddest journey that a family can ever take, and we can only imagine it.