Gardaí are investigating the possibility that a couple lay dead for months before their bodies were discovered in their Co Kerry home yesterday.
David and Hazel Byrne, both in their 50s and originally from north Cork, were last seen in September when a local organisation met and spoke to them at their home.
The remains of the couple were found at their rural cottage outside the village of Glenbeigh yesterday morning.
Gardaí are not treating the deaths as suspicious and believe it is a personal tragedy. Toxicology tests could prove important in determining causes of death.
Neighbours told the Irish Independent that they had not seen the couple in weeks. Their car had not moved for a considerable period of time.
There are unconfirmed reports that David and Hazel Byrne were seen in November, with early indications suggesting the bodies may have lain inside the bungalow since late last year.
Their home is on the busy Ring of Kerry road, next to landmark store PM Riordan and a bus stop.
Local woman Margaret Houlihan said: “I couldn’t believe it. I walk past here every day. It is amazing in this day and age that we don’t know our neighbours.”
Another neighbour said: “They kept to themselves and did not interact with anyone.”
Few locals knew the couple by name. They had lived there for a number of years and rarely ventured out.
News Catch Up – Tuesday 4 February
The Byrnes had previously rented a home in Rossbeigh before moving to the cottage outside Glenbeigh.
Local woman Veronica Sugrue, who bought flowers to lay at the scene, said locals were “shocked and devastated”.
“To think we didn’t know anything,” she added. “It’s very sad. They just kept to themselves – they were quiet people. I lived a mile over the road and I didn’t know them.
“I noticed the car outside but thought they were gone on holidays. The bus stopped outside and they could have gone on that. It is very shocking. The community can’t believe it.”
Pat O’Shea, who lives nearby, said he sometimes saw Hazel Byrne when she was doing her shopping, but they didn’t interact much.
“They kept to themselves,” he said. “I never spoke to him, but she saluted me from time to time. I know so little about them. It is very sad.”
Passengers getting off the bus next to the couple’s home spoke of their shock at the sight of the house cordoned off.
‘This is a small place, it’s so sad that people can be dead in their house for so long’
Brendan Diggin said: “I knew them to see. I would see them walking around the loop. I think they have been living here for a few years, but they kept to themselves.
“We saw the gardaí this morning. It is shocking that it would happen outside your door.”
Another local man, James Foley, said he would often wave to the couple, but he didn’t know them.
In nearby Kells Post Office, locals said the tragedy had hit hard.
“We are totally shocked. This is a small place, it’s so sad that people can be dead in their house for so long,” Margaret Sweeney said.
Cllr Norma Moriarty described the area as a “close-knit community”. She said it was tragic that something like this could happen.
Cllr Moriarty said that while many did not know the couple, people wanted to respect their privacy.
TD Michael Cahill lives in nearby Rossbeigh, where the couple had lived for some time. Mr Cahill said they had been known there as quiet people who “kept themselves to themselves”.
Garda forensic experts continued their examination of the property yesterday afternoon. Post-mortem examinations will be carried out today.
Officers are trying to track down relatives of the couple.