Human skull discovered in Firhouse garden

A human skull has been discovered in the back garden of a home in Firhouse, Co Dublin.

Gardaí were notified after a man discovered the skull while carrying out work in the garden of his home in the Killakee estate in Firhouse, south Dublin.

Preliminary examinations of the skull indicate that it belonged to an adult aged between 18-40 years and may have been in the ground for up to 70 years.

The Office of the State Pathologist and a forensic anthropologist have been informed and are assisting gardaí with their investigation.

A statement from the Garda said there was “nothing to suggest that this investigation is linked to that of missing person Phillip Cairns”.

It added that part of the investigation would involve a review of missing person records but said at this early stage no links had been made to any people.

The scene has been preserved for technical examination and investigations are on-going. The skull will be subject to forensic/DNA analysis.