Gardai in Galway will today receive the results of a post-mortem examination on the body of Mr Tom Clisham (53), who was found murdered at his home at Inverin, Co Galway, on Thursday.
The circumstances of his death remained unclear yesterday, although is understood Mr Clisham's hands were tied behind his back when his body was found.
The alarm was raised when Mr Clisham, a bachelor who lived alone near the Aer Arann airfield, had not been seen in the locality for 10 days.
His body was removed to University College Hospital, Galway, yesterday morning after the State Pathologist, Dr John Harbison, had carried out preliminary investigations at Mr Clisham's remote cottage.
Dr Harbison's postmortem results will be released today.
Experts from the Garda Technical Bureau carried out a detailed examination of the cottage and its contents yesterday.
The discovery was made at about 4 p.m. on Thursday, when a local garda found Mr Clisham's body lying across a bed in the house.
Early reports indicated that his hands were tied behind his back and that his bedroom was in disarray at the time his body was discovered.
According to one source his hands were "loosely tied".
He lived alone, about 200 yards from the Tighe Tommy public house on the main Cois Fharraige road from Galway city.
Mr Clisham had up to six dogs living with him in his house.
Supt Jim Sugrue confirmed yesterday that he was last seen alive on Monday of last week.
It is believed he regularly socialised in local pubs around Inverin and made frequent visits to Galway city.
He was described as a quiet man.
Mr Clishman's murder is the seventh violent death in Co Galway since last June.
The farmers' organisation, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association, (ICMSA) last night expressed sympathy to Mr Clisham's relatives and called for increased funding for gardai in rural areas.
ICMSA national council member for Galway, Mr Tommy Keane, said vulnerable people such as the elderly and those living alone in rural areas were "helpless" due to the poor rural policing service.