Mystery of remains in Galway – Devon link
A body found in Ireland is believed to be a busker who could have had relative in Exeter. Guy Henderson tells the tale
ADEVON woman is being sought to help solve the case of a how a well-known busker was found buried in a garden in the Republic of Ireland.
A team specialising in unsolved missing persons cases believes the woman may hold the key to unlocking the mystery.
On April 17, 2002, a property developer was clearing the garden of a house at 158 Upper Salthill, Galway, in the Republic of Ireland when he found a human skull.
Local police officers subsequently found skeletal remains in a shallow grave nearby. They were wrapped in a blue sleeping bag tied with blue nylon twine, including clothing, jewellery, boots, and hair ties.
The post-mortem examination did not show any signs of assault, and it was concluded the man died of natural causes.
The house had previously been used as a squat by homeless people. Gardai (police) officers believe he may have been buried by his friends, not thinking it was illegal to bury someone in unconsecrated ground.
Gardai believe that the body may belong to a man known as ‘Dave’, a wellknown busker who used to frequent Shop Street in Galway city after arriving in the area in or around August, 1998.
Volunteers based at the University of South Wales are working with a team at Exeter College, piecing together the story of ‘Dave’, the busker who lived as a New Age traveller but may have trained as a classical musician.
He lived as a New Age Traveller and played the tin whistle or guitar – and the volunteers think he may have had a sister in the Exeter area.
‘Dave’ had an English accent and is believed to have originated from the Tunbridge Wells area of Kent. He may have trained as a classical musician in London. Friends told police that he had been married at some point.
When he bought a license for his collie dog, he used the name ‘Dave Rawson’, but it has never been corroborated. He sometimes went by the nickname ‘Tang’.
The last time he was seen was back in 1999, and his collie, guitar, and tin whistle have never been found. Neither has a small notebook he carried everywhere, containing addresses and phone numbers.
The story of ‘Dave’ is being pieced together by Locate International, a newly formed community interest company dedicated to helping families in unsolved missing persons cases to find their loved ones.
Teams made up of specialists from different disciplines and volunteers from local communities work together, using computer mapping, social media and internet information which would not have been available at the time the person went missing. They review the cases to ensure that all that can reasonably be done, has and is being done. The service is carried out at no cost to families or the police service.
Anyone with any information can contact the team by visiting https:// locate.international/contact-us/