The boy at the centre of the Letterfrack scandal whose body was exhumed in Kilkenny last week died from an untreated ear infection and not from meningitis or a blow to the head, as was originally suspected.
The remains of William Delaney, a former inmate of Letterfrack Industrial School, was so well preserved that the assistant State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, could tell gardai within an hour of her preliminary examination that William did not die from a blow to the head, according to a source close to the investigation.
Instead, evidence of the ravages of infection on one side of the skull suggested that the boy succumbed instead to a possible ear infection or untreated tooth abscess. Meningitis has also been ruled out as a possible cause of death.
Dr Cassidy took pathological samples for further examination from the boy's body, which was then re-interred in St Kieran's cemetery, Kilkenny.
Gardai are awaiting the final test results of these samples, which are expected early this week before they make an official statement on the exact cause of William's death nearly 31 years ago.
Senior Garda sources have already ruled out any suggestion of a murder inquiry. They do accept, however, that William may have received a blow to the head shortly before he was sent home in July 1970, but they now believe this did not contribute to his death.
William was sent to the notorious Christian Brothers' reform school, in Letterfrack, Connemara, in 1967 by court order. He spent three years there, suffering neglect and abuse at the hands of some of the Brothers before he became ill in July 1970 and was sent home early to his family in Kilkenny for the summer holidays.
On his return home he complained of severe headaches and was admitted to St Luke's hospital in Kilkenny. He lapsed into a coma and never regained consciousness before dying three days later. Hospital records pertaining to his death were not kept but the Delaney family say they were told William died from meningitis.
Gardai have arrested and questioned Christian Brothers, former Christian Brothers and lay people who worked in the school following a five-year investigation into allegations by former inmates of physical and sexual abuse.
Files have been sent to the DPP on all of them and gardai in Clifden are awaiting instructions before their investigation can proceed.