A POST-MORTEM EXAM will be carried out on the body of 8-year-old Anthony Ward in Cork this morning.
The young schoolboy was found dead in his bed by Gardaí and family members after an alarm was raised by his mother Diane yesterday morning. He had been due to start back in third class at this local primary school just minutes prior to the tragic discovery.
State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster arrived at the scene Monday afternoon but the examination will begin this morning, Gardaí told TheJournal.ie.
Last night, the Health Service Executive said, “as with all serious incidents such as this”, it was committed to undertaking a “comprehensive review of its involvement” with the Ward family. It added:
HSE South, Console (24 hour freephone helpline number 1800 201 890) and other agencies will provide appropriate support, assistance and counselling to those affected by the incident.
Images of Anthony’s father Mark Ryan have appeared across newspapers this morning as he is comforted by friends and family outside the Harrison Place home in Charleville, where he kept a vigil for hours yesterday.
Diane Ward, Anthony’s 43-year-old mother, remains in Cork University Hospital where she is still being treated.
Although Gardaí have said they are treating the death as a ‘tragic incident’, they are investigating all circumstances.
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