A jury returned a verdict of misadventure yesterday at an inquest in Castlebar, Co Mayo into the death of a 33-year-old woman whose badly burned body was found on top of a campfire near the seaside at Carrowteigue in northwest Mayo last June.
Along with her Slovakian boyfriend, Stefan Burcak, Elizabeth O'Sullivan from Glenamoy, Ballina, had been drinking heavily - more than three bottles of vodka between them - before she died, the inquest heard. State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy said there was no evidence Ms O'Sullivan died from the fire "and it is most likely she died from alcohol intoxication and any fire damage to the body was after she died".
Mr Burcak (36), a fisherman who has been living in north Mayo for the past five years, said he had been going out with Ms O'Sullivan for over a year. "Our relationship was very good but we drank a lot," he explained.
Mr Burcak told how they went on a camping trip in Carrowteigue last June. After drinking and eating, he said he passed out inside the tent. When he woke up Ms O'Sullivan wasn't with him.
Gardaí said that when they arrived at the scene Mr Burcak was overcome with grief and shock and was crying uncontrollably. He was quite intoxicated and had burns to his hands and his fingertips were badly injured.
The acting coroner for north Mayo, Dr Eleanor Loftus, said it was a "disturbing and tragic death". She said: "It is very sad and shocking to see the amount of alcohol-induced deaths in Ireland nowadays."
