Remains found in Drogheda park removed for post-mortem

Gardaí say the area will remain sealed off as searches are still ongoing

The remains were discovered Thursday afternoon in Louth. Photograph: Leon Farrell / RollingNews.ie

Following searches at Rathmullen Park in Drogheda, partial human skeletal remains have been removed from the scene.

The remains have been taken to the Dublin City Morgue in Whitehall where a post-mortem will take place.

Partial skeletal remains were discovered on Thursday afternoon during searches connected with the murder of a teenager last January.

Gardaí in Drogheda investigating the murder of a 17-year-old male last year began searches in the area in Louth on Wednesday after detectives received credible information on the possible location of the victim's remains.

The young man was murdered in January 2020 before his remains were dismembered. The teenager's torso was not recovered at the time the boy's funeral was held, however, the rest of his body was.

A large search team, including Garda divers checking the drainage system and the Garda Dog Unit, combed the site on Wednesday and again on Thursday when the partial remains were discovered. 

Due to legal restrictions, the murdered boy cannot be named and other details pertaining to this case cannot be disclosed at this time.

The search area remains sealed off and searches are ongoing.

Pathology tests as well as DNA testing will now get underway to establish the identity of the remains.