A man found dead at a recycling facility in Dublin may have been deceased for some time, gardaí believe, with efforts continuing this weekend to identify him.
The discovery of his body is the latest incident in which human remains have been found in recycling or refuse mounds at processing depots.
Some of those cases involved accidental deaths, but in others the victim was murdered and their remains dumped in refuse bins.
Gardaí are investigating all circumstances surrounding Saturday morning’s discovery and have yet to determine the deceased man’s identity or if he was the victim of foul play.
Workers at the waste recycling facility in Clondalkin found the body just before 1am, with work stopping immediately and An Garda Síochána alerted.
The scene was sealed off pending the arrival of a pathologist to examine the remains in situ before they were removed by ambulance to undergo a postmortem. Gardaí are hopeful that will determine the cause and approximate date of the man’s death, which will dictate the course of the investigation. The fatality was being treated as unexplained as of Sunday afternoon.
While gardaí are yet to confirm or rule out whether foul play was a factor, the resources of a homicide inquiry have been committed to the case. This has been done to ensure nothing of evidential value is lost in the event the investigation is upgraded to a murder inquiry.
“A senior investigating officer has been appointed to lead the investigation. An incident room has been established at Ronanstown Garda station,” said the force as it appealed to anyone with information to come forward.
Local Sinn Féin Cllr William Carey said: “I just feel for the family. My thoughts would go out for any family of any person who is found in those circumstances.”
The depot where the remains were found is the same facility where the body of Co Meath man Andrew Haire was discovered in July. The 35-year-old, from Foxtown, Summerhill, had used homeless services in Dublin and Cork.
A postmortem on his remains was inconclusive as to the cause of his death, and the investigation into how he died and how his remains were brought in a bin to the Dublin facility is ongoing.
Rough sleepers at times seek protection from the elements by climbing into industrial bins, which are collected by refuse trucks and the contents crushed by the vehicles.
In Haire’s case, it is unclear if he climbed into a bin or if his body was placed there by unknown parties after his death.
In 2014, the dismembered remains of Mark Burke (36), originally from Sandyford, Dublin, were found at a recycling centre in Ballyfermot. The last confirmed sighting of the father of seven had been in Dún Laoghaire.
He had to be identified using DNA testing and searches located only about 60 per cent of his remains. An inquest in 2016 heard that tools were used to dismember his body. His murder remains unsolved.