GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the disappearance of missing west Cork woman Anne Corcoran have confirmed that human remains found buried under a mound of earth in woodland on Friday afternoon are those of the 60-year-old widow.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster had to use dental records at a postmortem examination on Friday night and into the early hours of Saturday morning to confirm that the remains, which had been burned and were decomposed, were those of Ms Corcoran.
Ms Corcorcan’s remains were found with her hands tied behind her back and buried under a mound of earth covered with tree cuttings some 400m into a forestry plantation at Kilmore over 3km from Garrettstown beach.
The remains were found by officers from the Garda Technical Bureau when they began excavating the mound of earth after gardaí had discovered it while searching the Coillte-owned forestry as part of a planned search for the missing woman.
While gardaí are not releasing the results of the postmortem examination for operational reasons, it has been learned that Ms Corcoran died as a result of severe head injuries and her remains also showed signs of having been bound and gagged.
Ms Corcoran was last seen alive when she met a friend at the Speckled Door pub near the Old Head of Kinsale on the evening of January 18th. She later made a phone call on her mobile phone to a local doctor’s surgery on January 19th.
But she was not seen or heard from since January 19th. A Garda investigation was launched when she was reported missing. Gardaí later found her green Peugeot 2006 car abandoned at Oldchapel, on the outskirts of Bandon on January 28th.
Garda technical experts spent the weekend carrying out a forensic examination of the area where Ms Corcoran’s remains were found while they also continued with a forensic examination of a house in Bandon.
Technical experts are also continuing to carry out forensic examinations of a van and car seized last Thursday as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Ms Corcoran who lived alone at Maulnaskimlehane following the death of her husband in 2007.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be finalised, but Ms Corcoran is expected to be buried beside her late husband, Jerry, in Kilbrittain cemetery. Prayers were said for Ms Corcoran at local Masses over the weekend.