GARDAÍ ARE awaiting the results of a postmortem examination on the remains of a man discovered face down in a ditch before deciding what direction their investigation into his death will take.
The body was discovered in a ditch in a field at Moyvalley, Broadford, Co Kildare. The discovery was made by a farmer walking his land at 10.30am yesterday.
The man who found the remains called gardaí, who sealed off the area immediately.
Deputy State Pathologist Dr Khalid Jabbar carried out a preliminary examination of the body at the scene before the remains were taken to Naas General Hospital.
Dr Jabbar was due to carry out a postmortem at the hospital this morning.
While the cause of death will not be known until after that examination is complete, Garda sources said the dead man did not appear to have any obvious injuries such as stab or gunshot wounds.
However, the man appears to have been dead for some time, possibly a number of months. It is possible that, given levels of decomposition, serious injury to the body may not be immediately apparent.
It is feared the remains may be those of a missing Dublin man Jason O’Dea. The 30-year-old with an address at Buckingham Street Lower, Dublin 1, has not been seen since November 27th.
Gardaí had made a number of public appeals in an effort to locate him but there have been no sightings. While Mr O’Dea has been involved in petty crime and has a history of drug use, he is not known for any involvement in gangland crime.
Gardaí said no intelligence has emerged from criminal sources since Mr O’Dea went missing to suggest he had been murdered or that somebody may have a reason to harm him.
It was unclear last night if the man whose remains were found yesterday morning died at that spot or elsewhere and his body was dumped there.
Members of the Garda Technical Bureau were at the scene yesterday and are expected to carry out further examinations of the area today.
Sources said Mr O’Dea’s family have been very concerned about him since his disappearance. They have been contacted by gardaí and have been informed that a body has been found.
Mr O’Dea is a father of one and is believed to have been living homeless for periods in recent years. His disappearance is being investigated by gardaí at Store Street Garda station in Dublin’s north inner city.
