LAST UPDATE | 22 Nov 2021
GARDAÍ HAVE MADE an appeal to the public to help them to find the identity of a deceased man discovered in Bracetown, Co Meath 30 years ago, using new information.
After a review was conducted earlier this year in consultation with the Garda Missing Person Unit, the man’s body was exhumed from the cemetery in Navan in August.
Although they could not identify the man using new DNA technology, it was established the deceased may have had an issue with his right knee which may have caused him pain or discomfort, and caused him to walk with a limp.
Earlier this month, working from an old post-mortem file photograph, portrait artist Lynn Kennedy was commissioned to sketch the deceased man. This sketch has been released by Gardaí in the hope of identifying him and notifying his family.
On 18 April 1991, a council worker discovered a man’s body in a council yard in Bracetown, Co Meath.
Gardaí did not suspect any foul play in the man’s death, but due to the absence of any personal ID, Gardaí were unable to identify him.
Local enquiries by Gardaí at the time yielded potential sightings of the man in a pub in Ratoath the night before. Some locals recalled meeting a man with a Liverpool accent while others thought he may have been Scottish or Irish.
Gardaí in Trim believe the man had been sleeping rough in Bracetown for up to a week before his body was discovered. Gardaí believe a family member or childhood connection may have brought him to the area.
Gardaí also believe he may have attended a local GAA match on the evening prior to his death.
Extensive investigations at that time by Gardaí and Interpol failed to uncover any firm leads and at this point the man’s remains were laid to rest in St Mary’s cemetery in Navan.
This appeal is not a criminal investigation; the sole purpose is to identify the man and notify his family.
The deceased was described as being 45-55 years of age, 5ft 5in in height and of medium build. He had brown eyes and light, and was balding with brown hair that was greying on the sides.
He wore a grey, herringbone tweed jacket, labelled ‘Taldy Madrid’, a white shirt labelled ‘Luigi Rossi’, grey trousers and very worn, black, zip-up boots (size 8).
Crimecall airs on RTÉ One at 9.35pm tonight.
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