Gardaí confirm identity of remains found in car boot

THE BADLY decomposed remains of a murdered woman found in the boot of a car have been confirmed as those of missing 30-year-old mother of one Helen Donegan.

She had been missing for almost seven weeks, and was last seen at her home in St Patrick’s Park, Celbridge, Co Kildare, on the morning of May 6th.

A 45-year-old man known to Ms Donegan is still being questioned about her murder.

Gardaí feared for Ms Donegan’s safety from the time she was reported missing by her partner and had carried out a number of searches.

On Tuesday at 5pm they searched a lock-up in a transport yard at Kilmactalway, Aylmer Road, just outside Newcastle village, west Dublin. Gardaí found Ms Donegan’s badly decomposed body in the boot of a silver grey 02 Saab estate car. A postmortem revealed she had been shot once in the chest.

Ms Donegan’s remains were so badly decomposed that DNA tests and dental records were used to identify her.

Gardaí are examining a legally-held shotgun that was surrendered to them at about the time Ms Donegan, a drug user and the mother of a 12-year-old boy, was reported missing.

Gardaí believe she was killed about the time she was reported missing, and that her remains were put into the boot of a blue Seat estate, which was stored in a garage in Co Kildare for a number of weeks. The remains were then moved to the boot of the Saab, which was locked away in a second unit in Co Kildare.

Gardaí have appealed for anyone who may have seen the cars at about the time of Ms Donegan’s disappearance to contact them. They are also appealing for information from anyone who saw unusual activity around Ms Donegan’s home between May 4th and May 17th.

Detectives also want to speak to people who saw anything unusual at the transport yard and lock-up.

Members of the Garda Technical Bureau have carried out testing at the lock-up where the remains were found and at the second Kildare garage where the body was stored for a time.