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Body found in bed may have lain undiscovered for 20 years

A dead body found in a boarded-up house may have lain undiscovered for around 20 years, it is thought. Officers found butter in the fridge dating from 2001 when they made the grim discovery.

An officer outside the house© Virgin Media One

The alarm was raised on Friday (January 13) after council staff began clearing out the derelict property, which is just yards from a pub. Once inside they found skeletal remains in a bed.

The scene around the one-storey dwelling was then cordoned off. Fire service staff removed the remains and took them to a morgue.

Investigators are hoping dental records will confirm the identity of the person. Officers were carrying out door-to-door inquiries and plan to check with utility providers to pinpoint the timing of the death. 

It is believed neighbours believe the man who lived at the property - in Mallow, County Cork in the Republic of Ireland - had moved to England, the Irish Mirror reports. Gardai do not suspect foul play and a post-mortem examination of the body was expected to take place on Saturday night (January 14).

Mallow councillor Liam Madden said the road was "very busy" and that it was "extraordinary" that the body could have remained there unnoticed for 20 years. He added: "I find it hard to imagine. But it has happened before in other towns and villages where someone has been found.

"If they are local, it’s a very sad reflection that someone didn’t miss this person and say where would that person be. The big thing is identification now, it is going to take a long time.

"In some of these places that are boarded up, people have gone in there to sleep... it could be anyone. It’s very sad that there’s some family out there that could be looking for this person."

A file is being prepared for an inquest. Anyone with information should call Mallow Garda Station on +353 22 31450.

A spokesman added: "Gardai are investigating all the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a body in a house in Mallow, Co Cork, at approximately 12pm, 13th of January 2023. The scene has been preserved. Inquiries are ongoing."