GARDAÍ BELIEVE a man whose frozen body was found in a flooded ditch was shot in the head by his own associates before they dumped the body in a remote laneway.
Detectives are hopeful vital forensic evidence that could lead them to the killers may have been preserved in the snow.
The body was discovered on Saturday afternoon at Dunbro Lane, Dunbro, close to a runway at the back of Dublin airport.
A local man out walking saw blood in the snow and when he went to investigate found the remains.
The dead man has been named as John Paul Joyce, a 30-year-old father of two from Coolock, north Dublin. Joyce, whose brother was shot dead last June, was well known to gardaí for his involvement in gangland crime.
He was last seen alive by his partner when leaving their home at Ferrycarrig Road, Coolock, on Thursday.
When he did not return home and efforts by friends and family to contact him failed he was reported missing to gardaí.
It was feared from the outset that he had gone to meet criminal associates who then double crossed him by abducting him and murdering him.
Gardaí are satisfied Joyce was on his way to meet an associate when he was last seen.
The area around Dunbro Lane was sealed off immediately after the body was found on Saturday. An examination of the area was carried out by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.
Joyce’s remains were examined at the scene by State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy.
The body was later removed to Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, where a postmortem was carried out yesterday afternoon.
It concluded Joyce had been shot in the head.
He had recently been warned by gardaí that his life was under threat from other criminals and had taken precautions including wearing a bullet-proof vest and varying his routine.
Joyce was a leading member of a key drugs gang in Coolock that had become embroiled in a localised feud with another drugs faction that has resulted in four murders to date.
He was also closely linked to a criminal gang operating in Finglas, Dublin, that was once led by murdered gang figure Martin ‘Marlo’ Hyland.
Gardaí are investigating if Joyce was killed as part of the Coolock feud or by his Finglas associates. At this stage they believe the Finglas gang was most likely behind the murder.
A Finglas criminal in his 30s took over the gang when Hyland was shot dead three years ago and the faction has since been responsible for a string of murders, including at least four last year.
Joyce’s brother, Tommie Joyce, was aged 20 when he was shot dead last June outside his home on the Grove Lane halting site off the Malahide Road at Coolock.
He was killed as part of the localised Coolock drugs feud.
John Paul Joyce was wounded in the back in an attack in June 2008 as he was about to drive off in his car from the Total Fitness gym near Tesco Clare Hall in Coolock.
He survived after managing to make his way, wounded, back into the gym where he got help.
He was also lucky to escape with his life during what gardaí believe was another attempt to kill him early last year. When a masked gunman walked into a pub in Coolock John Paul Joyce had gone into the toilet. When the gunman could not find him in the bar he ran off.
Gardaí investigating Joyce’s murder have not yet found the car he was last seen alive in. Gardaí in Swords have asked for anybody with information to contact them on 01-666-4700.