Gardaí in Cork have launched a murder investigation after a post-mortem on the body of a man revealed that his throat had been cut. The body of Mr Patrick Walsh (28) was found in a pool of blood in the back bedroom of his family home at Fair Hill Drive at 5 a.m. on Thursday morning.
The dead man's mother, Nellie, and brother, Thomas, had heard a struggle downstairs and rushed to investigate.
They allegedly found Mr Walsh's bedroom door locked.
When they eventually entered the room they found his window open, leading to the back garden of the property.
The dead man was a father of one and was unemployed. He was a settled Traveller and was one of eight children.
The family home is in a quiet area of the north side of Cork.
Locals showed open hostility to the press.
Gardaí continued technical examinations at the house yesterday and also carried out house-to-house inquiries.
An incident room has been established and gardaí are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
Supt Mick O'Loughlin of Gurranabraher Garda station said the investigation was at its earliest stages.
"This man was a quiet person who hasn't come to our attention," he said.
"He was not known to us for any criminal matters.
"It seems that he was a tragic victim of a violent crime.
"We are continuing our inquiries at the moment and we are not following any definite line of inquiry as yet.
"We are keeping an open mind as regards what took place."
Supt McLoughlin said he did not believe there was any gangland involvement in the killing.
Garda sources in the area were unable to confirm if the death was part of a Travellers' feud.