Gardaí launch murder probe after autopsy confirms Cork man died violently

Gardaí had been investigating since 61-year-old Michael Foley was found dead in his home in Macroom, Co Cork

Wed, 07 Feb, 2024 - 20:31

Eoin English

Gardaí have launched a murder investigation after a post mortem examination confirmed that the man who was found dead in a sheltered housing complex in Co Cork died a violent death.

The autopsy on the remains of Michael Foley, 61, was conducted by assistant state pathologist, Margot Bolster, at Cork University Hospital (CUH) on Wednesday. It took several hours to complete, given the extent and nature of his head and facial injuries.

The results were provided to the garda investigation team tonight.

While gardaí have not released the findings for operational reasons, it is understood the autopsy confirmed that Mr Foley suffered extensive head injuries and died from blunt force trauma to the head as the result of a violent assault by one or more people.

The investigation into the death, which was initially being treated as suspicious, was then formally upgraded to a murder probe.

However, the investigation has had all the resources of a murder probe since Mr Foley was found lying in a pool of blood in his home on Tuesday.

Neighbours raised their concerns

Mr Foley, 61, a separated father of four daughters, who was originally from Clonakilty, was found dead in the kitchen area of his bungalow at the Cork County Council run Annville sheltered housing complex in Macroom town centre at around lunchtime on Tuesday.

Neighbours were concerned that they had not seen him for a few days and when called to check on him, they got no answer.

One neighbour, Tim Horgan, raised his concerns with Mr Foley’s key care worker, and when she called to his house, she found him lying in the kitchen with severe head injuries, and gardaí were alerted.

Gardaí began investigation immediately

They arrived soon afterwards and suspicions were aroused over the nature and extent of the head injuries. The house was immediately sealed off and the scene preserved, while gardaí began door to door enquiries and harvesting CCTV footage.

Dr Bolster visited the house that evening to conduct a preliminary investigation of the remains at the scene before the body was removed just after 8pm to the city morgue at CUH for the post mortem.

The house remained sealed off overnight and the garda investigation continued on Wednesday with forensic experts examining the house as garda search teams combed surrounding streets, lanes and yards, and cut back overgrowth in the search for items of evidential interest.

Last known sightings

It is understood that gardaí have confirmed that Mr Foley was alive last Thursday after his sister, Ann, confirmed to detectives that they had spoken to each other on the phone that day, and there is also a confirmed sighting of him in the town at 10am on Saturday.

Detectives were working last night to find any more recent sightings of him in a bid to narrow down the potential time or day of death.

They are also working to trace his last known movements and to identify anyone with whom he socialised or interacted.