Gardaí have said the body parts found in a suitcase on the Grand Canal in Co Kildare on Saturday afternoon are those of a man who met his death in recent days.
At a press conference at Ardclough Bridge, south of Celbridge on Sunday, gardaí appealed for information from anybody who may have seen the suitcase in the water anytime since Thursday last.
Superintendent Gerry Wall said: “ Gardaí are appealing for anyone who used the canal between last Thursday the 14th January and Saturday 16th January in the area between Kearneystown and Ardclough Bridge to contact Leixlip Garda Station on 01 666 7800. People may have walked or cycled or been in the area in the last week and we are asking them to please contact us.”
Garda Divisional Search and the Garda Water Unit continue to search in the area and a full technical examination of the scene is being carried out.
The death is being treated as murder and gardaí confirmed that the body is that of a male and that there has been no positive identification of the deceased.
The body has been removed to the morgue at Naas General Hospital where Dr Michael Curtis will carry out a post mortem examination on Sunday afternoon.
The body parts were discovered in a dark grey suitcase in the water beside the Lyons Estate, close to Ardclough village, by walkers at about 3.30pm on Saturday.
Local man Derek Maguire said he had seen the suitcase in the water when he was out walking his dog shortly after 10am on Saturday.
Mr Maguire said the canal side walk is a popular route for people walking between Celbridge and Ardclough, passing the 13 th lock.
He said he had passed the suitcase on the way out and on his return, as did other walkers he met.
He said the suitcase was about abut one metre long and was dark grey or black in colour.
When observed it was mid canal, he said, and it did not excite the interest of his dog.
A cyclist Stephen Bryan said while the area is a quiet and rural one, last year a car which was being followed by gardaí left the road as it passed the narrow humpedbacked bridge and crashed through a wall.
Another man observing proceedings on Sunday morning said the 13th lock was a focus of anti-social drug taking at night.
This afternoon the canal path was sealed off by gardaí and a blue tent could be seen from the bridge by Ardclough GAA club.
Shortly after midday a hearse emerged with a Garda escort and the remains were removed for the postmortem.
Gardaí are reviewing missing person’s files as part of the investigation.
It was unclear whether the dead man was Irish, when or where he died or how long the suitcase and partial remains had been in the water.
Search effort
Undergrowth along the banks of the canal is expected to be cut back as part of that search in the event anything of evidential value was discarded or hidden by those at whose hand the dead man met foul play.
Informed sources said it was too early to determine the identity of the dead man, adding DNA testing may be required as confirmation.
