The body of a 42-year-old farmer remained hidden high up a fir tree for almost four years after he climbed up there and took his own life while suffering from poor mental health, an inquest heard yesterday.
The remains of father of one, William O'Brien, Hillview Drive, Charleville, Co Cork, were found up the tree by gardaí during a search of a farm at Tullig, Buttevant, on January 20th, 2006, following the discovery of a skull in an adjacent field two days earlier.
Insp Pat McCarthy told the inquest into Mr O'Brien's death how gardaí found a bone near a gap in a ditch and when they looked up, they saw a dark object in a fir tree.
He climbed up to discover human remains caught in the branches and a fleece jumper tied to a high branch.
Earlier, Buttevant publican John Moloney told how Mr O'Brien was "totally paranoid" but he persuaded him to see a local GP, Dr Michael Kennedy.
Dr Kennedy said no hospital would take Mr O'Brien because he had drink taken.
He gave him some tablets and told him to stay with his mother and see him in the morning.
Mr Moloney said that while he was driving Mr O'Brien to his mother's house at Boherascrub, Buttevant, Mr O'Brien asked to get out of the car to go to the toilet.
He went into a field and said he was going home across the fields.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said Mr O'Brien's remains were totally skeletal and partially mummified but dental records, items of clothing and a car key found on the remains confirmed they were those of Mr O'Brien.
However, because of the passage of time between the death and the discovery of Mr O'Brien's body, it was impossible to establish the exact cause of death, said Dr Bolster.
She said the fleece jacket would have been strong enough to support his weight.
Coroner Frank O'Connell returned a verdict that Mr O'Brien died on or between April 23rd and 29th, 2002 at Tullig, Buttevant, as a result of placing himself high within the branches of a tree where he was tied by a ligature and died in a mode which cannot be precisely ascertained.
"Death was self-caused while the balance of the deceased's mind was disturbed," said Mr O'Connell, who extended his sympathies to Mr O'Brien's widow, Trish, and his family.
