Half of unidentified human remains in Ireland are in the Munster area
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The partial remains of five people found in a Tipperary graveyard in August 2020 are among 44 human remains which are unidentified in Ireland at present.
A pacemaker, shroud and plastic rosary beads were also found with one of the remains, according to data relating to the 44 remains, published on Tuesday morning by the Department of Justice. The data has been collated with statistics forwarded to the department from each coroner relating to unidentified remains in their area.
Half of the unidentified remains are in the Munster area and include the body of Baby John, the infant buried in Cahirciveen after his remains were found on White Strand beach in 1984. He had been stabbed 28 times. A man and woman were recently arrested by gardaí investigating the murder of the infant. A file is being prepared for the DPP after they were released without charge.
Meanwhile, two bodies found in different parts of Kerry have been buried in one grave in Rathass cemetery in Tralee. One was a male found in Ballyheigue in October 1978, who may have been from London and aged about 25 years old. The second body in that grave was discovered at Tonavane Cross in West Kerry in July 1996. DNA profiling has been done on both men, without success.
The reported on Tuesday that Interpol is being consulted in a bid to identify the body part of a person found in nets off the coast of West Cork
DNA has been extracted from the body part, which was taken from the sea off Mizen Head, in a bid to help identify it. However, the search has been extended beyond Ireland, with help being sought from Interpol, according to the coroner for South and West Cork, Frank O’Connell.
Publishing the data on Tuesday morning, Minister of State at the Department of Justice James Browne said: “Today, as details of unidentified remains are published for the first time, we remember in particular the families and friends of missing people in Ireland and recognise the ongoing pain suffered and the lack of closure in the absence of the remains of their loved ones.
“I know that the families of missing people have long called for the release of this information. We have listened to that request and I welcome the publication of that data today.
"It is important to say that this will not have been an easy task for coroners, given many of these files pre-date digitisation and would have required a physical trawl. I thank the coroners for their co-operation, and hope that the release of this information may assist in the identification and location of missing family members.
"If you or someone you know has any information that might assist in solving a missing person case, I would urge you to report it to An Garda Síochána. It’s never too late, and any information provided to An Garda Síochána may help those suffering the loss of their missing loved one to find some answers.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Colm Noonan said: “An Garda Síochána recognises the lasting sense of trauma for the families and friends of those who have gone missing. In 2018, An Garda Síochána commenced a substantial body of work in relation to unidentified human remains and this work continues to date."
An Garda Síochána are part of a working group which was established by the Department of Justice to explore the creation of an unidentified remains database with representatives from the Department of Justice, Forensic Science Ireland and the State Pathologists Office.
"Operation Runabay, which was established in 2017 by the Missing Persons Unit, has a particular focus on advancing the investigation of cases involving unidentified persons discovered along the western coast of the United Kingdom.
"In recent years, the Missing Persons Unit has expanded this operation to include greater co-operation with the British National Crime Agency and other neighbouring jurisdictions, exchanging information related to missing persons and unidentified human remains both at home and in other jurisdictions.”