The South Eastern Health Board has started an inquiry into the disappearance and death of an 88-year-old man in the care of Gorey District Hospital.
Mr John Byrne went missing from the hospital on Monday evening, apparently leaving the building through a fire-exit. A member of the voluntary search team set up to locate him found his body on Tuesday afternoon on a building site on the outskirts of the town.
Mr Byrne, from Ballycanew, in Gorey, was admitted to the 27-bed hospital on December 15th last year.
The health board said it would examine the circumstances surrounding the incident and publish any findings once they had completed the examination. A post-mortem will be carried out. The health board yesterday expressed its condolences on Mr Byrne's death. In a statement it said this was an extremely sad incident, and the sympathy of the hospital staff and South Eastern Health Board was offered to Mr Byrne's friends and family.
According to staff at the hospital, Mr Byrne had no close family remaining, but several cousins live in the Gorey area.