Three unidentified bodies remain at UHL years after discovery

PARTIAL unidentified remains from three separate bodies discovered in County Clare have been kept at University Hospital Limerick for over three years.

The information is part of the first-ever report on unidentified remains by the Department of Justice.

All of the bodies were discovered within a month of each other between April and May 2020 in Fanore, County Clare.

The coronial data report highlighted 44 unidentified remains across Ireland with almost a fifth of all remains discovered in County Clare.

Two other bodies in the unidentified bodies report were found in the Cluaine Airne Estate area in County Clare.

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Both bodies consisted of full remains and were discovered between December 2001 and June 2003.

Commenting on the publication of the coronial returns Minister of State James Browne remembered the family and friends of “missing people in Ireland.

“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 cooperation and hope that the release of this information may assist in the identification and location of missing family members.

“Importantly, there may be something contained in the information released today that triggers a memory or rings a bell with any one of us. 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,” he added.

There are currently approximately 856 unsolved missing persons cases live on the Garda Pulse system. The vast majority of missing persons cases are resolved quickly but many can remain unsolved for long periods of time.