A man found dead on open ground at the Wellington Monument in Dublin’s Phoenix Park appeared to have suffered multiple slash injuries. His body was discovered just before 10.30am on Friday.
The scene was immediately sealed off, the alarm was raised, and all of the resources of a murder inquiry were committed to the case. However, gardaí have stressed that the results of a postmortem will be required before a cause of death can be confirmed.
Gardaí suspect the man may have been homeless, or had slept rough for a time, and that he was someone who was a regular in the park. He had endured personal struggles, and a key aspect of the inquiry is to determine how his injuries were sustained.
The scene where the man’s remains were found is close to Chesterfield Avenue, the main road through the centre of the park, and can be clearly seen from a pathway running alongside the road.
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A large area was sealed off in the morning, secured by uniformed officers, with the Garda Technical Bureau carrying out an examination of the scene. The remains were covered from view by a forensic tent.
The body remained in situ for a large part of the day pending the arrival of a pathologist to examine the remains.
“Gardaí continue to investigate all the circumstances of the discovery of the body of a male at the Wellington monument in the Phoenix Park this morning Friday,” the Garda said in a statement.
They are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area of the monument on Thursday or on Friday morning, including a man and woman, possibly Italian, and who were in their 30s.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly was speaking to the media about the EU presidency events in Dublin this week when news emerged that the man’s remains had been found. He confirmed the death was being treated as suspicious.
“We have sealed off the scene and have experts on the scene,” he said. “We won’t be able to make a public comment until after the postmortem, but we are treating it as suspicious,” he added, but confirmed the resources of a murder inquiry had been committed to the case.
Anyone with any information is being asked to contact investigating gardaí at Finglas Garda station on 01-6667500, the Garda Confidential Phone on 1800-666111 or any Garda station.
