THE dismissal of the murder charge against Cork man Mr Fred Flannery in the High Court yesterday still leaves gardai with four unsolved disappearances on their hands. Mr Flannery had been charged with the murder of one of the men, Mr Patrick O'Driscoll, who was last seen shortly before Christmas, 1994.
While gardai had investigated separate reports of three men missing over a 14 month period, they did not believe there was anything suspicious about the disappearances until Mr O'Driscoll's family reported he was also missing in December, 1994.
The 32 year old epileptic, who lost an eye in a car accident some years before for which he was awarded but had not collected £184,000 compensation - had told his family early in December he feared for his life. He reportedly told them he knew some details of how Mr Cathal O'Brien (23), from Wexford, and his friend, Englishman Mr Kevin Ball (42), had been murdered and was present on the night they were killed.
In February, 1995, after preliminary inquiries, gardai privately feared all three had been murdered and believed whoever was responsible had also killed a fourth man, Mr Frank "Blackie" McCarthy. The 24 year old single man left his home in Mayfield on February 12th, 1993, to meet somebody after receiving a phone call and was not seen again.
Mr O'Brien's family conducted a search for their son, who worked in the Simon hostel in Cork, after he failed to contact" them over Easter, 1994. His description was circulated to police in Britain and on the continent, but gardai believed he had been persuaded by New Age traveller Mr Ball to go away with him, and they were not overly concerned.
However when they realised both men had had a flat in 9 Wellington Terrace, Cork, and Mr O'Driscoll had also moved into a flat in the same house shortly before he disappeared, they became worried.
Photographs of Messrs O'Brien, Ball and O'Driscoll were circulated and gardai received a big response to appeals for sightings of Mr O'Driscoll. Several people claimed to have seen him wearing his distinctive eye patch after he was declared missing.
All three had not collected their social welfare cheques since they disappeared and had not removed any clothing or personal belongings from their flats.
Mr O'Brien, a graduate of Waterford RTC, came to Cork in mid 1993 and worked with Simon in their John Street hostel. Described as very socially concerned, he offered some of those he met in the hostel accommodation in his flat, including Mr Ball. This was against Simon policy and he left his job in the hostel about two months before he went missing. His father, Mr Seamus O'Brien, a primary school principal in Wexford, believed his son had gone to Britain with Mr Ball.
After appeals for information about the three missing men yielded little information Garda forensic experts moved into 9 Wellington Terrace and went through every part of the old three storey house. They lifted floorboards and removed walls, but it is believed they found very little to support the grim story they had been told by Mr O'Driscoll's family and others.
It was said Mr Ball and Mr Brien had been hit on the head with a hammer and later their bodies were cut up and removed from their flat, possibly in a carpet. A fire in the flat was blamed for destroying some possible evidence Mr O'Driscoll was reported to have died in a similar fashion in his flat in the same house, having been hit on the head and strangled. Later, his body was reportedly cut up and removed.
Gardai were told a dreadful smell, like that of burning flesh, had been reported by neighbours behind St Joseph's Park in Mayfield, adjoining the industrial estate where "Blackie" McCarthy was last seen. This was a regular site where people met to drink around bonfires. In May, a team of detectives moved on to this site and carefully sifted through a 6 ft mound of earth about 4 ft wide and 50 ft long. The assistant state pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster, called to the site once to inspect some of the items discovered.
As the dig was coming to an end the search switched to a farm less than a mile away in Mayfield, where it was reported a body had been buried. Gardai combed several acres of land and a local radio station was alerted to a freshly dug hole one night.
They discovered a stinking sock nearby and later gardai discovered parts of a toe nail and some hair and skin which they believed to be human. However, these failed to yield a DNA print which would have identified them as belonging to Mr O'Driscoll, as anticipated.
With the cases of the missing men still open, gardai believe they may be dealing with Ireland's first serial murderer or murderers.