GARDAÍ LAST night began a murder inquiry after a postmortem revealed that a 25-year-old father of two died from stab wounds during a fight in Co Cork late on Thursday night.
The postmortem on the body of Jonathan Kenneally Daly showed he had suffered numerous stab wounds to the upper body and arms during the fight at Cork Road in Passage West at about 11.45pm on Thursday.
Gardaí under Supt Charlie Barry of Togher Garda station formally upgraded their inquiry into the death to a murder investigation after receiving the results of the postmortem by assistant State pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster.
Mr Kenneally Daly was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the street near Passage West library just before midnight on Thursday when gardaí on a routine patrol came across him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His body remained there overnight as gardaí preserved the area until Dr Bolster carried out a preliminary examination at the scene yesterday at about 11am, when his body was removed to Cork University Hospital.
Originally from Bride Valley View on Cork’s northside, Mr Kenneally Daly had been living at the Meadows, Hollyhill, with his partner and their two young children but had gone to Passage West on Thursday evening.
Detectives were last night continuing to question a 23-year-old man arrested near the scene of the killing shortly after the discovery of Mr Kenneally Daly’s body.
Gardaí believe Mr Kenneally Daly went to visit the man and they spent some time drinking together in the man’s rented flat on Cork Road but that a row broke out some time after the man’s partner returned home at about 11.30pm. It is understood the row spilled out on to the street after the man went to a nearby taxi base to try to get a cab back to Cork city for Mr Kenneally Daly.
Garda technical experts yesterday morning recovered a kitchen knife near the scene, and they are hoping it will yield forensic evidence that will help them with their inquiry.
The 23-year-old man apprehended near the scene was arrested under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows detention for an initial period of 12 hours and can be extended to 24 hours. The man’s detention was extended at about 6pm yesterday and gardaí can continue to hold and question him until later today, when they must decide to either charge or release him.
Gardaí have set up an incident room at Togher Garda station and have appealed to anyone with information to contact them on 021-4947120.