A dismembered body found in a sports bag buried in woodlands near Cork city was identified by medical experts using old hospital and dental records, an inquest was told yesterday.
A jury listened to details of the discovery of the body of Mr Denis Patrick O'Driscoll (32) who disappeared from the so-called "House of Horrors" at 9 Wellington Terrace, Cork, in December 1994.
The body was found 18 months later at Lotabeg, Mayfield, on July 19th, 1996.
Mr Edward O'Hanlon, State Solicitor, said gardai conducted an extensive inquiry into Mr O'Driscoll's disappearance and the file was still open.
Garda James Keane said he went to Lotabeg where he found some ground had been disturbed and he poked it with a stick.
"There was a foul smell. I left it as it was and reported it to Mayfield Garda station. We later returned to the scene and started digging. We found a sports bag containing a skull and a torso," he said.
Dr Margaret Bolster, lecturer in forensic medicine at UCC and a former assistant State pathologist, said that on July 20th, 1996, she had examined the area and found bones protruding from the earth.
She removed the torso of an adult male. There were bones wrapped in the remnants of blankets, the ends of which were sawn through.
There were also foot and hand bones, upper arm bones and a skull with evidence of metal inserts and bone grafts.
Part of the arm bones were still in the sleeves of a pink and green check shirt and one foot still had a diamond-patterned sock on it.
The cut ends of the bones in the bag matched the torso. The skeleton was later assembled at UCC and was that of an adult male. She could not determine the cause of death, she said.
In answer to the Cork city acting coroner, Mr Patrick Dorgan, Dr Bolster said there was no safe way of knowing how long the body had been there. "All I can say is months."
Mr Michael John Earley, a plastic surgeon, of St Lawrence's Hospital in Chepstow, Wales, said he first met Denis Patrick O'Driscoll in a Swansea hospital in April 1995.
He was referred to him because of a deformity around his left eye and cheek, the result of a road traffic accident in 1978.
He carried out bone grafts to build up the orbital area so Mr O'Driscoll could be satisfactorily fitted with an artificial eye. He carried out four main operations from October 1985 to October 1987, but in January 1988 he and colleagues decided the patient was unsuitable for an artificial eye.
In July 1996 he examined the skull found at Lotabeg. It had clear remnants of wire attached over the bony surfaces which were in the same position as wires he had placed in Mr O'Driscoll's skull.
"I had no doubt at all that the skull I was looking at was Mr O'Driscoll's. It matched my records exactly," he said.
Dr Robin O'Sullivan, a lecturer in anatomy in UCC, said he examined the Lotabeg skeleton, which was nearly complete. Only the sternum or breast bone was missing.
"The cut surfaces of the long leg bones suggested they were cut with a handsaw. A small electric jigsaw would have been difficult to use for the task without prior exposure of the bone," he said.
Dental evidence and X-ray evidence of identification of the skull were also given.
Ms Jean Bailey, sister of the deceased, said she last saw her brother on December 11th, 1994. She said he lived in Wales for a time with her and her sister.
The coroner, Mr Dorgan, said this was a most unusual and tragic case. Usually in such a case the body of the deceased was available for identification, and the circumstances of death were normally well known.
"In this case there was a wealth of evidence available to identify the body because of the previous facial injuries and subsequent treatment. It is beyond doubt that the skeleton found was that of Mr O'Driscoll. The evidence is conclusive," he said.
"However, it was not possible to come to any conclusion as to how Mr O'Driscoll died, and the verdict will have to remain open. There was no evidence as to how he died, where he died or when he died," he added.
Mr Dorgan suggested to the jury that in the circumstance their verdict should read that Denis Patrick O'Driscoll of Ballinure Avenue, Blackrock, died between December 11th, 1994, and July 20th, 1996, at an unknown location and the cause of his death was unknown. The jury agreed.
He expressed sympathy to the O'Driscoll family, saying the case was more tragic than most of those he dealt with.
They had suffered two years additional anguish when they did not know what had happened to the deceased.
Mr O'Hanlon expressed sympathy on behalf of the Garda.
Mr Donal Daly said the family had suffered a great deal of pain, but wanted to express their sincere thanks to the gardai who spent many long hours investigating.
After the inquest Mr Noel O'Driscoll, the deceased man's brother, said the family would not rest until those repsonsible for his brother's death were brought to justice.
Two other men who disappeared from the same address in April 1994, Wexford-born Mr Cathal O'Brien (23) and an English man, Mr Kevin Ball (42), have never been found. Mr O'Driscoll extended his sympathy to their families.
Mr O'Brien's father, Seamus, attended yesterday's inquest and appealed for anyone with information to contact gardai.