Gardai try to trace dead man's final moments

Detectives in Dublin have begun a detailed examination into the disappearance of Paul McQuaid, the young man whose remains were…

Detectives in Dublin have begun a detailed examination into the disappearance of Paul McQuaid, the young man whose remains were found in an alleyway off Grafton Street on Wednesday evening.

Gardai remain satisfied that Mr McQuaid (25) died as a result of a fall on the night of May 11th/12th last in the lane off Wicklow Street close to its junction with Grafton Street.

However, detectives are now trying to establish what happened prior to his death.

Mr McQuaid, who was single and shared a house in the Marino area of Dublin, was last seen outside Judge Roy Beans bar on Nassau Street on the night he disappeared. It is understood he left and entered the bar at least twice on that night.

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Detectives are trying to establish why he went into the alleyway which is used by drug addicts and homeless people at night. They are also trying to establish why he apparently climbed a high fence topped with razor wiring before his fall.

They are also trying to discover what happened to a jacket he had been wearing earlier in the evening and a wallet containing his cash and credit cards. None of the cards was used after his disappearance.

The Garda Press Office yesterday insisted there was no fault in the Garda investigation into Mr McQuaid's disappearance, while conceding that no actual search took place of the area around where he was last seen alive.

A spokesman for the Garda Press Office said that up to 15 officers from Pearse Street and Clontarf Garda stations were involved in the investigation into his disappearance. This work included taking statements from people who were at the bar and examining closed-circuit television pictures.

Mr McQuaid is to be buried tomorrow after 3 p.m. funeral Mass at the Sacred Heart Church in his home town of Irvinestown, Co Fermanagh.

In a statement yesterday, the McQuaid family said: "Paul was a loving son and brother and friend. "The circumstances of Paul's death will be investigated by the gardai and will be the subject of an inquest and, therefore, we feel we cannot make any comment at this time.

"At this difficult time we would like to express our deep appreciation for all of the concern shown by Paul's friends and colleagues over the last few weeks.

"We would also like to sincerely thank the media for their assistance and co-operation in recent weeks, and would ask them to continue to act with sensitivity in the days ahead."