Inquest returns verdict of unlawful killing in death of art student Emer O'Loughlin

Emer O'Loughlin's remains were found in the burnt-out mobile home at an area known as the New Line, Ballybornagh, Tubber in April 2005. File photo

A verdict of unlawful killing was returned in the death of art student Emer O'Loughlin whose charred remains were discovered in a burnt-out mobile home in Co Clare 20 years ago.

As Clare county coroner, Isobel O'Dea, read out the verdict at Kilrush courthouse, Emer’s sister Pam wept in the public gallery after earlier urging Ms O’Dea to recommend to the jury the verdict of unlawful killing.

In the long-running Garda investigation into Ms O'Loughlin's death, gardai are seeking to speak to the owner of the burnt-out mobile home, John Griffin (aged 58) formerly of Mervue, Galway, to assist with their inquiries. His whereabouts remain unknown.

After Wednesday's inquest, Pam O’Loughlin made a fresh appeal to those who have information around her sister’s death and the person of interest in the case.

She said: “People know where he is and they communicate with him and I would appeal to people to come forward even anonymously to let the gardaí know where he might be, and that is the only way this is going to move forward.” 

John O'Loughlin, Pam O'Loughlin and Raymond O'Loughlin outside Kilrush Courthouse after the inquest into the death of Emer O'Loughlin on Wednesday. Photo: Eamon Ward

Ms O’Loughlin said her family is “absolutely delighted with the verdict”. She said: “It is the first time that the State has acknowledged that Emer O’Loughlin was killed by someone else.

“Until now we have had 'suspicious death' and this is the first time we have had it confirmed that Emer was killed by someone else. It was what we came here today for."

Pam O'Loughlin said the Garda investigation will continue into her 23-year-old sister's death and that investigation won't be affected by the inquest verdict whatsoever.

"This was more for our family and a personal thing for our family to get the acknowledgement that after 20 years of everything being wishy washy and not having a definite cause of death, it is now confirmed she was killed by someone else.” 

Pam O'Loughlin said her family hope that "we will get a suspect into court at some stage and justice for Emer”.

Ms O’Loughlin’s extensively fire-damaged remains were found in the burnt out mobile home at an area known as the New Line, Ballybornagh, Tubber on April 8 2005. One of the first on the scene of that afternoon was Cronan Forde of Carron, Co Clare.

He told Wednesday's inquest that he saw Ms O’Loughlin’s skull “a foot or two” from her body.

Autopsies

Ms O’Dea told the jury that retired deputy State pathologist, Dr Michael Curtis, in his post mortem conclusions was not able to provide an anatomical cause of death but in his evidence agreed that the injuries “were consistent with deliberate violence committed by a third party”.

The Clare county coroner also pointed to evidence in Dr Curtis’s autopsy that found that there was no evidence of soot in Emer O'Loughlin's lungs or carbon monoxide indicating that she had unfortunately died before the fire.

After evidence concluded in the case, Pam O’Loughlin addressed Ms O’Dea in the absence of the jury to state that the evidence “points to the involvement of another person in the death of my sister”.

In his post mortem examination which was carried out the following day at University Hospital Galway (UHG), Dr Curtis concluded that the cause of death was undetermined.

He said Ms O’Loughlin’s remains “were extensively carbonised and destroyed” and that the distal upper limbs and lower limbs were absent while the skull had detached. He said the extreme degree of heat destruction made large parts of the body unavailable for examination.

Dr Curtis also said: “The neck and throat regions in particular were absent and it is thus impossible to exclude strangulation and or a cut-throat injury as possible causes of death."

Det. Garda John Keating of Gort Garda Station gave evidence of being at the scene in 2005.

At the conclusion of his evidence, Pam O’Loughlin asked Det. Garda Keating with all of the knowledge he had about the case, did the circumstances of Emer’s death point to the involvement of another person.

In response, Det. Garda Keating said that notwithstanding two post-mortems were unable to provide a cause of death: “I believe the circumstances of the death are connected to the actions of a third party”.

In response, Pam O’Loughlin said “thank you very much”.

Earlier in evidence, Det. Garda Keating said Emer O'Loughlin, a native of Ennistymon, Co Clare, had lived with her boyfriend, Shane Bowe, at their mobile home at New Line, Tubber, since May 2004.

He said that on April 8, 2005, Emer had a day off from her college in Galway as it was closed to mark the funeral of John Paul II and Mr Bowe went to work in Lisdoonvarna.

He said Mr Bowe last saw Emer at 10am that morning and advised her to call to neighbour, John Griffin, to get her mobile phone charged as they were having problems with power in their own mobile home. Det. Garda Keating said Mr Bowe later died in 2018. 

John Griffin's whereabouts remain unknown.

Under questioning from Ms O’Dea, Det. Garda Keating said that no evidence of accelerant was found at the scene. He said the most intense part of the fire was where Ms O’Loughlin’s remains lay.

The inquest also heard evidence via Zoom from Dr Laureen Buckley, a forensic anthropologist, who carried out a second post-mortem examination after Ms O’Loughlin’s remains were exhumed in May 2010.

Dr Buckley was also asked by Pam O'Loughlin if the injuries to the vertebrae were consistent with deliberate violence by another person, and she replied: "It could have been, but I couldn’t say with certainty."