Forensics team in white suits makes for a sobering sight
THE PROTECTIVE white suits of a team of garda forensic investigators, and army search teams, painstakingly combing through a section of a field between Kilmuckridge and Blackwater last Wednesday morning, made for a sobering sight.
It was to this field that gardai believe the body of mother and grandmother Patricia O’Connor was brought from her south Dublin home, some time after she was killed at the end of May.
It was here, they believe, that the 61-year-old who worked as a chef in a south Dublin hospital was buried in a shallow grave, and lay undiscovered before her body was disinterred and dismembered.
It was here that an arrest was made over two weeks later, after gardaí brought a suspect to the field.
Kilmuckridge-based councillor Mary Farrell echoed the thoughts of her local community when she expressed her sincere condolences to the loved ones of the deceased.
‘People are horrified that something like this could happen in our local community,’ she said. ‘Our deepest sympathies go to the families who have been affected.’
She praised the gardaí for the sensitive and discreet manner in which they conducted their enquiry, and their efforts to protect the privacy and dignity of the deceased and her family.
‘We are conscious of the fact that while we are reading about something that is so gruesome, we have to remember there are children, grandchildren, and extended family who are grieving,’ she said.
It has yet to be stated if there was any connection between the North Wexford area and the deceased.
The detailed examination of the site continued through Friday as the dedicated team investigating her case made sure that nothing was overlooked, and that everything would be done to ensure they got justice for the deceased.