Elderly Cork couple may have died in tragic fall at home, say gardaí

Michael and Anne O’Sullivan were found at the bottom of their stairs after failing to respond to calls

Tributes were paid last night to the couple, locally named as Michael and Anne O’Sullivan, who lived in Glounthaune, east of the city.

The elderly couple found dead in their home in a small village outside Cork City on Monday may have died as a result of a tragic fall on their stairs.

Tributes were paid last night to the couple, locally named as Michael and Anne O’Sullivan, who lived in Glounthaune, east of the city.

Michael is understood to have been 83, while Anne was 80.

A garda on duty at the house in Glounthaune Village, Cork where a couple in their 80's were found dead. Picture Dan Linehan

The couple, described as devoted to each other, had been seen on Saturday and contacted by phone on Sunday. However, when they did not respond to calls on Monday, concerns were raised.

Gardaí in Mayfield were alerted, and when they arrived at the couple's two-storey terraced home on Monday evening, they found their bodies near the bottom of the stairs.

Gardaí said in a statement on Monday: “Gardaí attended the scene and two bodies were located in the house, one man and one woman, aged in their 80s."

Members of the Garda forensic team at the house in Glounthaune where a couple in their 80s were found dead. Picture: Dan Linehan

The scene was preserved for a technical examination, and the bodies were later removed to Cork University Hospital. Autopsies are scheduled for Wednesday to establish the exact cause of death.

It is understood that, following a preliminary examination, foul play is not suspected. There were no signs of forced entry or suspicious injuries on the bodies.

The results of the autopsies will guide the garda investigation. It is expected that, once the findings are provided to gardaí, they will likely prepare files for a future coroner’s court hearing.