Family of murdered Frankie Dunne still hoping for justice

A year after the body of murdered Corkman Frankie Dunne was found on the southside of Cork city, his sister has appealed for justice to be done 

The late Frankie Dunne, whose body was discovered on December 28, 2019. File Picture.

The sister of a man whose dismembered remains were found dumped in the garden of a disused house in Cork city a year ago today says she still has hope his killer will be caught.

Frankie Dunne’s sister, Monica Butler, said “justice needs to be done” amid confirmation that the Garda investigation into the brutal murder last December is at a very advanced stage.

Mr Dunne, 64, a father of three grown children, who was known to homeless support agencies for a number of years, was last seen alive at around 7pm on December 27, 2019, as he left Cork Simon’s high-support Clanmornin House facility on the Boreenmanna Rd on the southside of Cork city.

His dismembered remains were found in the back garden of Castlegreina House, a long-time unoccupied and boarded-up property just a few hundred yards from the Simon unit, at about 4pm the next day.

Gardaí believe he was beaten either in the disused property or in the garden before his head and arms were cut off. Gardaí immediately launched a murder investigation.

The gruesome nature of this violent death rocked Cork Simon staff, volunteers and service users, and sent shockwaves through the city.

Monica Butler, Frankie's sister at her home in Knocknaheeney. "Justice needs to be done," she said amid confirmation a Garda probe into his brutal murder is at an advanced stage. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Ms Butler said the nature of her brother’s death, and the brutality inflicted on his body afterwards, has haunted her, and her family.

“You wouldn’t dream about it in your worst nightmares. Bringing whoever did this to justice won’t bring Frankie back but justice needs to be done,” she said.

Within days, gardaí had identified a person of interest - a man originally from Romania but who had been living in Cork.

Detectives established that this man had left Cork for Belfast just two days after the discovery of Mr Dunne’s body, and flew from there to Edinburgh from where he then caught a flight to Romania.

With assistance from Europol, gardaí contacted Romanian police in the man’s home town near Bucharest and asked for their assistance with their investigation.

Gardaí, including a Romanian member of the force, travelled to Romania on January 15 where Romanian police had arranged for the man to attend at a police station for interview under caution.

The Romanian garda translated his answers for the Irish detectives. The man also provided forensic samples which have since been analysed by experts at the Forensic Science Ireland laboratory.

In July, detectives on the case arrested a man at an address in the Ballinlough area of Cork city on suspicion of assisting an offender. The man was brought to Gurranabraher Garda station for questioning but was subsequently released without charge.

While the murder investigation is ongoing, it is understood that gardaí hope to be in a position to submit a detailed and comprehensive file to the Director of Public Prosecutions within a matter of weeks.

Ms Butler said while the investigation continues, she and her family remember Frankie with fondness and sadness this Christmas.

“He was family, he was our brother. He was just 64. He was the baby and we all miss him terribly,” she said.

Another niece, Breda, described her godfather as a witty and warm character

“There was always a home for him with us. We were always there for him. I often found him around the GPO. I would take him home, allow him to have a bath, I’d feed him and in the blink of an eye, he’d be gone again.

“Two weeks before he died, he was here at home with me. I went to bed and locked the front door, and took the keys upstairs with me, but he climbed out the window in the early hours of the morning.

“I think I saw him one more time and then that was the last time I saw him alive.

“He wanted to be on the streets. He said that’s where his friends were.

“He was always welcome in one of our homes.” 

Ms Dunne has experienced deep, personal tragedy before. Her son, John, was shot dead in front of his fiancee, Rachel, after a row in a chipper on Cork’s northside in 2002. No-one has ever been convicted of the killing. Her husband, John Snr, took his own life four years later.

She said during the difficult months and years that followed, her brother Frankie was always there for her, to support her.

“He would try to lift my spirits. All he wanted was a can and a cigarette. He was a great character. He made me laugh and I miss that,” she said.

Castlegreina House on the Boreenmanna Road in Cork where the body of Frankie Dunne was discovered. File Picture: Dan Linehan

The efforts she and her family went to to offer help and support to Mr Dunne over the years was referenced during his funeral Mass, which heard a tribute from the altar from one of his niece’s, Yvonne, who said the family will always cherish the time they spent with their uncle last Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

She said Mr Dunne loved “traditional music, a joke and the craic”, spending time with family, and cooking dishes like tripe and drisheen, coddle, and black bean sauce.

She said he had lived with about 10 different family members over the years, in Cork, Limerick and England, but that he was also part of the Simon community.

Among the gifts brought to the altar was a blanket to symbolise the warmth Mr Dunne received from Cork Simon over the years.

Yvonne also recited a poem by her friend, Deirdre O’Keeffe, which described how Mr Dunne had lived his life his own way.

“Life wasn’t easy for him, there were times he found it tough, but always found the strength to pick himself up,” she said.

Another niece, Breda, described her godfather as a witty and warm character who liked a few simple pleasures “like fags, a bet, listening to traditional Irish music and having a drink or two”.

Mr Dunne was a relation of the famous Dunne brothers, who busked regularly outside the former Roche’s Stores on St Patrick’s Street in Cork in the 1980s, and a recording of his son, John, singing a moving version of the classic ballad, Grace, was played over the church speakers.

Despite dealing with such grief, within days of Mr Dunne’s death, his family launched a fundraiser for Cork’s homeless community.

Homeless support charities said thanks to the donations, they were able to buy sleeping bags, tents, clothing and toiletries for some of the city’s most vulnerable people on the streets.

Mr Dunne is buried in St Michael’s Cemetery in Blackrock.

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