GARDAÍ ARE awaiting the results of a postmortem examination on the remains of a man found dead in an apartment block corridor before deciding the direction of their investigation into the death.
The man’s body was discovered on the floor of a communal corridor in the Grove Court apartment complex on Grove Street in the centre of Mullingar, Co Westmeath, just after 7.30am yesterday.
The dead man was Tony Kelly, who was in his 30s and originally from Strabane, Co Tyrone. He had been living in an apartment in the gated Grove Court complex with at least one other person.
He managed a local newsagents and was in a relationship with a person from the area.
T he Irish Timesunderstands Mr Kelly had been held hostage in a so-called "tiger raid" in Northern Ireland some years ago.
Mr Kelly’s remains were discovered just outside the door of his ground floor apartment. Garda sources said he had a head injury and had a large amount of blood on his head and face.
Gardaí were called immediately the remains were found and the area was sealed off. The State Pathologist, Prof Marie Cassidy, had other business to attend to early yesterday and did not arrive at the scene until the afternoon.
She carried out a preliminary examination of the remains at the scene before they were removed to the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar. A postmortem will be carried out by Prof Cassidy at the hospital this morning.
Gardaí are treating the death as suspicious but say the postmortem will establish if Mr Kelly might have died accidentally or if he was killed by an attacker. Members of the Garda Technical Bureau were at the scene yesterday and carried out an examination.
Door-to-door inquiries were conducted in the apartment block. However, gardaí have yet to find anyone who heard noises that might suggest a struggle late on Sunday night or into the early hours of yesterday.
Gardaí believe Mr Kelly’s remains probably lay in the corridor from the early hours of yesterday morning.
The investigating team has received a number of confirmed sightings of Mr Kelly in Mullingar on Sunday. Gardaí are trying to piece together his last movements and are studying CCTV from around the town.
They have appealed for anybody who was in the Grove Street area between 6pm on Sunday and 9am yesterday or who may have information to contact them in Mullingar on (044) 9384000.