Murder victim was well known in Wicklow
THE victim of a fatal attack on the Dublin/Wicklow border was well known in the western part of the county.
Gardaí in Tallaght have launched an investigation into the murder of Michael McCoy (64) who died after he was assaulted while walking his dogs at Ballinascorney Road, Upper Brittas, last Thursday.
The body of Mr McCoy was discovered in a remote area near a forest track on Friday after he was reported missing the previous day.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Supt Peter Duff appealed to anyone with information to come forward.
He confirmed that the post mortem results concluded that Mr McCoy died as a result of an assault, and that he sustained head injuries.
He added that the deceased was not known to gardaí that there was nothing in his background to suggest that Mr McCoy was deliberately targeted.
Supt Duff said that walking in the area was part of Mr McCoy’s usual routine and appealed for anyone who was in the popular recreational area to come forward.
On Saturday, a 41-year-old man was arrested and questioned in connection with the investigation. He was later released without charge.
Mr McCoy, who was well known in Wicklow for his conservation work, was a member of the Dublin Mountain Conservation Group.
He took a keen interest in planning in the county and in the past had submitted a large number of objections and submissions to Wicklow County Council on planning proposals from Brittas to Hollywood.
Some of these were followed by appeals to An Bord Pleanála.
Despite speculation that Mr McCoy’s conservation work could be connected in some way to his murder, gardaí have refused to comment on this publicly.
A press office spokesperson said that this is not information that came from gardaí.
In the meantime, Mr McCoy’s daughter Rachel has taken to Twitter to appeal for information about her father’s dog Fia who has not been seen since Thursday.
The family has offered a cash reward for information and has asked various media outlets to share updates.
Ms McCoy said that the second boxer dog that her father was walking remained with him until he was found, but that Fia never returned.