GARDAÍ in Cork are expected to open a murder inquiry today following a postmortem examination on the body of a 42-year-old man found with head injuries in a house in Macroom, Co Cork.
The dead man, named locally as Don Geasley, was found near a patio by the back door of his rented two-storey terraced house at Masseytown when his landlord called to the premises at about 10.30am yesterday.
The landlord contacted the emergency services and gardaí were alerted while a local doctor was also called. Mr Geasley was pronounced dead at the scene.
A Garda technical team began a preliminary examination of the scene and the State Pathologist’s Office was contacted. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster visited the scene and carried out a preliminary examination of the body before it was removed to Cork University Hospital. She will carry out a postmortem on Mr Geasley’s remains today.
Gardaí said last night their investigation will be determined by Dr Bolster’s findings. However, a senior source confirmed they expect the postmortem will reveal Mr Geasley died a violent death and they expect to launch a murder inquiry.
Gardaí yesterday began door-to-door inquiries in Masseytown, an old area of the town, and also began collecting CCTV footage from commercial premises to see if they can establish Mr Geasley’s last movements.
It is hoped the recordings will help identify the people he met in the 24 hours before his death.
Investigating officers have established that Mr Geasley had been drinking with up to seven people in a park in Macroom on Wednesday afternoon with a last confirmed sighting of him alive at about 4pm.
Officers have spoken to some people who had been drinking with Mr Geasley on Wednesday afternoon but they were still trying to establish when he returned alone to the house.
They have found no sign of a forced entry nor was there any evidence of anything being taken. They were keeping an open mind on whether Mr Geasley may have returned home alone or whether someone called.
Mr Geasley, who was unemployed, had lived for a number of years in the UK but had moved to Macroom about two years ago.