Still trying to identify man’s body

RTÉ’s Crimecall programme this week featured a renewed appeal by gardaí in Clare in a bid to discover the identity of a man, whose body was found at the base of the Cliffs of Moher four years ago.

Inspector John Ryan from Kilrush said they had received some response to the appeal over the man’s identity, which gardaí in Ennistymon are now following up.

Inspector Ryan has asked that anybody who might have any information about the deceased man’s identity or what had occurred towards the end of July 2010 to cause his death, however insignificant they might think it is, to contact Ennistymon Garda Station.

The man’s remains were found by Doolin Search and Rescue on July 30, 2010. He was only wearing shoes and socks and was thought to have been in the water for about 10 days.

A post-mortem examination showed injuries that were consistent with a fall.

Searches and investigation of CCTV footage locally did not reveal any clues as to the man’s identity, while a forensic dentist’s examination of the man’s teeth showed extensive dental work that was most likely carried out somewhere in Europe.

Clare Coroner, Isobel O’Dea also called in the services of Professor Caroline Wilkinson, professor of craniofacial indentification at the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee, Scotland.

The coroner said it was established that the deceased man was a non-Irish national, based on his size and bone structure.
“She did establish that and, based on the DNA we sent over, she was able to do a facial reconstruction,” Ms O’Dea said.
The man’s DNA, the facial reconstruction by Professor Wilkinson and the results of the dental examination were sent out to international police forces through Interpol and Europol in 2011.