LAST UPDATE | 29 Dec 2019

A MURDER investigation is underway in Cork after the body of a man was discovered with serious injuries on the grounds of a derelict house in Boreenmanna Road on the southside of Cork city yesterday afternoon.

The man, found decapitated and without arms at the derelict property, is understood to be a member of the homeless community from the city and had not been seen in recent days.

He was discovered at around 4pm on Saturday at Castlegrenna House in Boreenmanna Road on the southside of Cork city by a neighbour.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. It is not known if the man was killed at the scene or if his body was disposed of on the grounds of the two storey detached period house.

Speaking from the scene this afternoon, Superintendent Michael Comyns said the deceased suffered “severe injuries”.

When asked if there would be a “fear factor” for persons coming forward he said that there was no reason for anybody to have any apprehension about contacting gardaí.

“I can reassure people. They have absolutely nothing to fear. Anybody who has a fear can contact the Garda Confidential Line and speak in confidence with us,” he said.

“We have a full investigation up and running. We have local patrols out in the area. We have a lot of uniformed gardaí carrying out house to house enquiries and looking at the CCTV.

“This is normally a very quiet area. There is a lot of traffic, a lot of pedestrian traffic but it is a quiet area which doesn’t get a huge amount of garda activity. A lot of people in this area do walk in to the city centre. It is a derelict house. There shouldn’t be any activity in and around the house.”

The body remains at the scene, which has been preserved pending a full forensic examination. The deceased is understood to be in his late 40s or 50s.

“We are appealing for any persons who may have passed on Boreenmanna Road over the last number of days, going back to Christmas Day, if they had seen any activity around this derelict house, to please contact us,” Comyns said.

Gardaí particularly want to speak to motorists, drivers with dash cams, pedestrians and locals in the area since 25 December and who may have seen activity near the property involved.

“There has been a lot of speculation in relation to the identity of the person and the injuries suffered by the person,” he said. “We can say there were severe injuries but we do not know the full extent of them. I would ask that any speculation that has been going on since yesterday evening – it is not helpful to our investigation.”

The property has lain idle for over a year. The previous occupant of the house is in a care home. It is understood that people were known to drink on the grounds of property.

“That identification is a matter for the post mortem – fingerprints, DNA, etc. that will all be done there – hopefully we will be able to identify the person from there,” Comyns added.

The services of the State Pathologist’s office has been requested. The City Coroner has also been notified and an inquest will be held in due course.

The area where the body was found has been forensically examined. The remains have been removed to Cork University Hospital (CUH) for a post mortem examination.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Bridewell Garda Station on 021 4943330, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.