Calls to speed up release of remains after body of Waterford man held for 27 days 

The body of Jamie Weldon, originally from Butlerstown in Waterford, was in Dublin City Mortuary for 27 days, after it was found in his apartment on Upper Kevin Street in Dublin on August 19.

A Waterford TD wants protocols to be put in place to speed up the release of remains from Dublin City Mortuary, after the body of one man was held in the facility for close to a month.

Independent deputy Matt Shanahan has written to the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, to raise concerns about the delay in the release of the remains of Jamie Weldon to his family.

The body of Mr Weldon, originally from Butlerstown in Waterford, was found in his Iveagh Trust apartment on Upper Kevin Street in Dublin on August 19 — on what would have been his 57th birthday. His six siblings only discovered, after making a welfare check request on August 25, that remains believed to be that of their brother were in the Dublin City Mortuary. However, because he had been dead for some time before his body was discovered on August 19, the family were told that the body was unviewable and that a DNA match was necessary to prove his identity.

One of his brothers provided a DNA sample at Kevin Street Garda Station on August 29. His remains were released to his family on September 15.

The family has now raised the delay with a number of TDs as they do not want the same thing to happen to other families.

Mr Shanahan said: “I have written to the minister outlining all the steps, and what the family has suffered along the way with their contact with the State, and the delay. I have asked for an understanding firstly on could the minister outline the delay. But more importantly, what protocols are going to be put in place to make sure that no other family should have to endure such a wait at a time of suffering?” 

He noted how the connection with the family of Mr Weldon had been made on August 25, yet there was a lengthy delay between then and September 15, when his body was finally released to them.

“It is a very difficult time for a family to have to endure all that.” 

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice told the Irish Examiner that Dublin District Mortuary and the department fully appreciate the distressing impact on families where it is not possible to make an immediate identification.

She said that in cases where DNA sampling is necessary to identify remains, there can be a delay in notifying next-of-kin. 

She continued: “It is imperative that no errors are made in the process and that identification of remains is confirmed prior to next-of-kin being notified. In the case referred to, officials from the Coroner’s office have engaged with the family in question to respond to their concerns and directly communicate the Department’s condolences.” 

She added: “Where a DNA sample is required in order to confirm identification the timeframe for the release of remains to families can vary depending on the circumstances, including factors such as the time required for An Garda Síochána to obtain samples and schedule an appointment with Forensic Science Ireland and the time required by FSI to analyse and process the DNA sample and provide a report.” 

 “The team in the Dublin District Mortuary are acutely aware of the impacts of delays in releasing remains of loved ones to their next-of-kin. Members of the public that the DDM team deal with daily are often going through the most distressing times of their lives and the team are always sensitive to this.”