The Garda confirmed this evening that they have begun a murder inquiry after the body of man was discovered in a shallow grave in west Dublin yesterday.
The results of a post mortem carried out today revealed the man had suffered a fractured skull, which a garda spokeswoman said may have been the result of an assault.
She said it could take up to six weeks for a formal identification of the body, which would be carried out through DNA testing.
The body was discovered yesterday evening buried near the Grand Canal in the Clondalkin area, when detectives investigating the drugs-related disappearance of a 17-year-old from Ballyfermot in the west of the city received an anonymous tip-off.
The youth vanished in January 1999 and is thought to have been killed and buried in the Clondalkin area. His family believe he was abducted over a heroin debt of several thousand pounds.
The missing teenager is believed to have been working for a major drugs supplier in west Dublin at the time of his disappearance. He was recruited to sell heroin to teenagers.
"We are working on the basis that it is him", a Garda spokesman told ireland.comearlier today.