GARDAÍ LAST night said two men would appear in court at Newcastle West in Co Limerick today charged in connection with the death of a man found in a north Kerry bog near Listowel.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster earlier gave gardaí preliminary results of a postmortem on the body of Bruno Limes de Souza Silva (28), from Brazil, which showed he had been the victim of an assault.
Mr de Souza Silva’s body was found in a hole at Shronowen bog, Tullamore, between Listowel and Ballylongford, during a planned search by gardaí on Sunday afternoon.
His remains were taken to Kerry General Hospital in Tralee yesterday.
Gardaí believe that Mr de Souza Silva was assaulted when he called to a house in Ballyduff on about February 16th after a row broke out with some men. They believe he was later brought to Shronowen bog.
Gardaí had initially thought Mr de Souza Silva was not killed at the bog, but now think he may have been assaulted at the house in Ballyduff and killed in a second assault at the bog.
Gardaí are understood to be looking at evidence Mr de Souza Silva had suffered injuries to his upper body, but have not recovered any possible weapons despite searching four areas in Ballyduff, including the River Cashen, at Ferry Bridge.
Gardaí are also still trying to establish the last confirmed sighting of Mr de Souza Silva. Although they have a report of him alive in Kerry on February 16th, that is disputed, and they believe the last confirmed sighting of him is when he left Gort, south Galway, that day.
Mr de Souza Silva came to Ireland in 2005 and had lived in Gort for the past five years or so.
He had recently bought and sold cars. His partner Patricia Silva had reported him missing to gardaí.
Investigators have yet to establish exactly when Mr de Souza Silva was killed but they believe it is likely to have happened on about February 16th, and that his body has been at the Shronowen bog for several weeks.
Gardaí are still trying to establish the reason for his death and are exploring the possibility he may have gotten into a row about the purchase of a car. They have not discounted other possibilities, however.
Yesterday, gardaí continued to question two men arrested in the Ballyduff area on Sunday about the death.
Both men were arrested under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows detention for up to 24 hours.
One of the men was held at Listowel Garda station, and the other at Tralee Garda station.
Gardaí also seized two cars in Ballyduff which were used by the men arrested. Both were brought to Listowel Garda station for a forensic examination by technical experts to see whether they were used to transport Mr de Souza Silva from Ballyduff to the bog.
Gardaí have also begun examining the mobile phone records of both Mr de Souza Silva and the men arrested to see whether they provide clues about the movements of the three men on February 16th and afterwards.
A spokesman for the Brazilian embassy in Ireland said consular staff were in touch with the victim’s girlfriend in Gort.
A sister in Ireland and the victim’s family in Anapolis in central Brazil, who had been in touch with the embassy to report him missing, were also being kept up to date with developments.
