Gardai were last night trying to establish the identity of a man whose body was found yesterday afternoon in a field near the Co Meath village of Curragha. The man had severe head injuries; his legs and arms had been tied.
A motorist found the body at 3.30 p.m., lying parallel to a lane in the entrance to a field. The lane, which is lined with trees and tall hedges, is in the sparsely populated Curragha/Kilbrew area.
In an effort to establish the man's identity, gardai were examining reports of missing persons. In particular, they were investigating if it could be the body of a man reported missing in Louth early yesterday afternoon. Although Kilgrew Lane is in a quiet rural area, the body would have been clearly visible to anyone travelling along it yesterday afternoon. The investigation into the death is being led by Chief Supt Michael Finnegan of the Louth/Meath Garda division.
The scene was sealed off last night and examined by Garda technical experts as well as by assistant State pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy.
"The man appears to be in his 30s or 40s," said Chief Supt Finnegan. "We are appealing for anybody in the Curragha/Kilbrew area who saw anything suspicious today or even last night [Thursday] to contact gardai in Ashbourne on 018351515." He said the man was wearing black tracksuit bottoms and a dark-blue tracksuit top with white stripes on the sleeves.
The hood of the top had been pulled over his head and then bound with tape, which covered his face down as far as his eyebrows. His legs had been bound with black plastic.