THE 84-YEAR-OLD Co Wexford man, whose death at his home last Sunday is being treated as murder, was buried yesterday.
Walter Plunkett was found in the grounds of his home at Ballyedmond, just off the main Wexford to Gorey road, following a 999 call to the Garda on Sunday afternoon.
The Garda upgraded the investigation to a murder inquiry after a postmortem carried out by State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy showed Mr Plunkett had suffered a number of chest injuries before he died and that death was due to asphyxiation.
Gardaí arrested a 50-year-old woman at the scene. She was subsequently released into hospital care after being interviewed.
A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Mr Plunkett’s daughter, Cathy Bottomley, was joined in the small rural church of Monamolin by members of her family and a large congregation of mourners for the funeral Mass yesterday.
Fr Jim Doyle told the congregation that tragedies were always difficult, because they took someone away without any notice, and there was no going back.
“The family would have had many wonderful days with Walter through his long years.
“As I talked with Wally’s neighbours they spoke of him as a gentleman, who was liked by everyone.
“He liked the odd pint along with the odd drop of whiskey, like all of us.”
Ms Bottomley described her father as a “gentleman”, and reflected on how he had enjoyed life in Ballyedmond.
“He had just bought a new car and he drove to the local shop every day to buy his newspaper. He had a triple bypass a few years ago but was in reasonably good health.”
She thanked the Garda for providing assistance to the family as they tried to come to terms with the tragedy. She also thanked neighbours and friends for their kindness and help.