Murder probe after East Cork remains confirmed to be those of Kieran Quilligan

Kieran Quilligan. Picture: Garda Info

A murder investigation has been launched following confirmation that the remains which were found dumped in a roadside ditch in East Cork on Monday are those of Kieran Quilligan, who was last seen alive last September.

The remains were formally identified on Thursday with the assistance of DNA and dental records, combined with other evidential material including clothing.

An autopsy conducted on the remains on Tuesday is understood to have confirmed that Mr Quilligan, 47, met a violent death.

Gardaí believe Mr Quilligan, who was last seen alive on September 1 last, was lured to a house in Cork City, abducted by people he knew, and killed a short time later arising out of a possible dispute with drug dealers.

They searched the Little Island area last September but found nothing of significance. But the missing persons investigation continued, coordinated from an incident room at the Bridewell Garda Station, which has involved the examination of hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, searches of houses in the Mahon and Blackrock areas, and the seizure of several mobile phones.

That yielded new information and gardaí drew up plans for a major search of areas of interest in the Whitegate area this week.

They requested the assistance of a specialist cadaver dog from another policing jurisdiction — a dog specially trained to identify the scent of rotting human flesh, bone, blood and semen.

Within hours of the searches starting on Monday, the dog indicated an area of interest on the Midleton to Whitegate road, leading to the grim discovery in a gulley close to a wooded area just a few yards in off the road.

Gardaí found human skeletal remains inside a large heavy canvas-style bag — similar to the kind used for the disposal of building rubble.

A Garda team searching the undergrowth at Whitewell Cross. Picture: Dan Linehan

While gardaí have yet to comment publicly on a motive for his disappearance, one theory is that Mr Quilligan, who had a heroin addiction, may have been targeted by members of a criminal gang after he robbed a heroin dealer in the city, and was abducted, bundled into a car and driven away from the city centre.

It is now suspected that he was beaten and killed in the Little Island area before his body was driven away and dumped where it was found last Monday.

Mr Quilligan, who was originally from Bakers Road in Gurranabraher, left his accommodation at Cork Simon’s emergency shelter on Anderson’s Quay at 8.30pm on September 1 last in the company of another man.

Gardaí have been able to establish that he then proceeded to Sullivan’s Quay and on to Proby’s Quay near St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.

He was last seen alive on CCTV footage at St Finbarr’s Place, near St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, at around 9.15pm that night.

An examination of CCTV footage from the area has established that he went up the steps at St Finbarr’s Place but there is no sighting of him exiting the steps at the top of St Finbarr’s Place onto Fort Street.

Detectives have spoken to the man who accompanied Mr Quilligan to this area, and they have examined Mr Quilligan’s phone which has shown no activity since September 1.