GARDAÍ HAVE begun a murder investigation after the remains of a man dumped in a ditch were found.
The discovery was made in north Dublin close to the N2 on Thursday night. The body had been dumped on the side of Dunsoghly Lane, a minor roadway in the Ward leading to Finglas and close to the Brock Inn pub.
The dead man is 28-year-old Dubliner and father of two, Peter Gunn, who went missing on a night out in the north inner city almost two weeks ago.
The location where the body was found was sealed off by gardaí late on Thursday night and Mr Gunn’s body remained there overnight. The remains were examined yesterday morning by State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy before being removed for a full postmortem.
The results of the postmortem had not been released last night but The Irish Times understands Mr Gunn had been stabbed at least twice. He had been dead for a number of days and gardaí believe he was most likely killed on the night he was last seen and his remains then dumped.
The dead man, from Larkhill Road, Whitehall, north Dublin, was last seen in the early hours of Sunday, January 4th at Summerhill, Dublin. He had earlier met friends in a pub on Parnell Street. He had been due to celebrate his 29th birthday last week.
Gardaí believe his murder is not linked to gangland crime, although they have not ruled out the possibility that he was killed in a row with somebody involved in the drugs trade.
On Thursday, before her son’s remains were found, Mr Gunn’s mother, Geraldine, rang RTÉ Radio 1’s Liveline programme to appeal for information on his whereabouts. “He has just vanished off the face of the Earth,” she told Joe Duffy.
She said her son’s bank account had not been accessed since his disappearance and that he had not taken his passport or driver’s licence with him when he left home.
“It’s out of character. His children are fretting for him, saying ‘Where’s my Daddy?’ I’m trying to remain hopeful and I pray to God above. It’s torturous.”
His family had put up posters close to his home and in the city centre appealing for information on his whereabouts.
Gardaí investigating the killing are hopeful that CCTV footage from cameras in Dublin’s city centre might assist them in establishing the victim’s last movements and in establishing whether he encountered anyone just after he was last seen alive by his friends.