Cork woman who lay dead in house led reclusive life and rebuffed family attempts to contact her

Joyce O’Mahony, aged 57, was found dead last May. At her inquest, Cork City Coroner Philip Comyn said that given all the circumstances, an open verdict was the only option available

The house where the body of Joyce O’Mahony was discovered. Picture: Chani Anderson

A woman whose skeletal remains lay undiscovered in her Cork City home for several months led a reclusive life and rebuffed repeated family attempts to contact her, an inquest has heard.

The family of Joyce O’Mahony, aged 57, whose decomposed remains were found in the family home near the Lough on the city’s southside last May, outlined the efforts they made over many years to engage with her by calling on-spec to the house, by phone, text and email, all without success.