Gardaí investigating the death of a man whose body was found at the side of a road in north Cork will carry out further inquiries today after preliminary post-mortem results last night indicated he may have died from a drugs overdose.
Full toxicology reports are awaited but foul play has now been ruled out in the death of 19-year-old Pádraig O'Keeffe. He was discovered lying at the side of the road not far from his home at Mullanes, Rathcormac at 6.30am yesterday.
Gardaí believe Mr O'Keeffe may have taken drugs while attending a house party at Páirc na Gréine estate in Rathcormac village but they are still trying to establish how he made his way from there to his home over two miles away on the main Rathcormac to Glenville Road.
Statements have been taken from a number of witnesses who travelled the road between 6am and 7am yesterday morning and it seems that Mr Mullane's body appeared near his home within a five to 10 minute period between 6.20am and 6.30am.
A witness who travelled the road at 6.20am did not see Mr O'Keeffe but another witness discovered his body at 6.30am.
Gardaí were yesterday trying to establish if Mr O'Keeffe was given a lift to the spot where his body was found.
It is understood that they have not ruled out the possibility that he may have been brought there in an unconscious state.
After the discovery of the body, gardaí under Supt Con Cadogan of Fermoy said they were treating the death as suspicious. The scene was cordoned off and gardaí requested the services of State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, who carried out a preliminary examination at the scene.
Mr O'Keeffe's remains were later removed to Cork University Hospital where Dr Cassidy began her post-mortem.
While gardaí opted not to disclose the full results of the post-mortem, it led them to rule out foul play.
Detectives had earlier spent the day trying to trace Mr O'Keeffe's last movements and they established that he had been socialising in Rathcormac for most of Sunday before attending a party at a house in Páirc na Gréine on Sunday night where cocaine was available.
Gardaí sealed off the house for technical examination and they also spent several hours interviewing three men in an effort to establish Mr O'Keeffe's movements in the hours prior to his discovery at Mullanes.
One of a family of seven, the 19-year-old worked locally in the construction industry.
Rathcormac parish priest Fr Neilius O'Donnell told reporters that the young man's death had come as a huge shock to the community.
"It's a terrible tragedy for the whole community, particularly the family. I've known them well over all the years - it's a terrible tragedy for them all, there's so little you can say for them.
"All you can do is be with them to support them," said Fr O'Donnell.
