Tragic Roscrea baby's death included in new unidentified remains register

The tragic case of the unidentified remains of a baby who died in Roscrea in 1999 is included in the release of a new register of data aimed at assisting in identifying the remains of people across Ireland. 

The partial remains of five people found in a Tipperary graveyard in August 2020 are also among the 44 human remains which are unidentified in Ireland at present and detailed in a register published by the Department of Justice. 

The data has been collated with statistics forwarded to the Department from each coroner relating to unidentified remains in their area. 

On Christmas Eve in 1999 Gardai in Tipperary issued an appeal for the mother of a new-born baby boy found dead in a field beside a Roscrea housing estate to come forward. The body of the infant, aged between 12 and 24 hours, was found just before noon on December 23rd 1999 by two boys playing in the field, which is adjacent to a local authority housing estate, Cois Carrig. 

The boys, Patrick Maher and Andrew Walshe, both aged nine at the time, first thought the body was a doll and alerted a neighbour, Ms Mary Downey, who notified a priest and doctor. Gardai called to the scene and arranged for the body to be removed to Nenagh General Hospital, where a post mortem was being carried out by the then assistant Chief State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy.

In their appeal Gardai said they believed the mother may be in physical and emotional distress following the birth and death of her baby boy, who was later named Baby John after the case made national headlines and received attention from overseas. 

The mother of the baby was never known, despite appeals to her to come forward in confidence, and receive any help and support needed. Baby John was buried on January 6, 2000 and the local community in Cois Carrig, Kennedy Park and Brophy Terrace raised funds to create a moving memorial to the baby whose tragic death plunged the nation into grief.

The jury in the inquest into the death in October 2001 returned the verdict that the newborn infant boy died on or around December 23, 1999, at Cois Carrig and the cause of death was unascertainable, but the likely cause was inattention at birth.

Coroner, Mr J.Kelly, solr, said he knew the people of Cois Carrig and Roscrea had been very generous at the time, and very generous in having a memorial erected to Baby John.

The inquest heard it was a unique and tragic case, where there was no family to whom they could extend sympathy.

Superintendent Jim Mulligan, who oversaw the investigation, said there might be a family paying attention to the media coverage, and he would say to them that the mother had nothing to fear from the verdict in coming forward even at the stage of the inquest in 2001.

Today anyone with relevant information is urged to come forward and assist Gardaí and are reminded it is never too late to assist Gardaí uncover the truth.

Half of the unidentified remains in the new online register published last Tuesday are in the Munster area and include the body of an infant who was also named 'Baby John' buried in Cahirciveen after his remains were found on White Strand beach in 1984. 

He had been stabbed 28 times. A man and woman were recently arrested by investigating Gardaí and a file is being prepared for the DPP after they were released without charge.

Publishing the data, Minister of State at the Department of Justice James Browne said: “Today, as details of unidentified remains are published for the first time, we remember in particular the families and friends of missing people in Ireland and recognise the ongoing pain suffered and the lack of closure in the absence of the remains of their loved ones.

“I know that the families of missing people have long called for the release of this information. We have listened to that request and I welcome the publication of that data today. 

"It is important to say that this will not have been an easy task for coroners, given many of these files pre-date digitisation and would have required a physical trawl. I thank the coroners for their cooperation, and hope that the release of this information may assist in the identification and location of missing family members.

"If you or someone you know has any information that might assist in solving a missing person case, I would urge you to report it to An Garda Síochána. It’s never too late, and any information provided to An Garda Síochána may help those suffering the loss of their missing loved one to find some answers.” 

Detective Chief Superintendent Colm Noonan said: “An Garda Síochána recognises the lasting sense of trauma for the families and friends of those who have gone missing. In 2018, An Garda Síochána commenced a substantial body of work in relation to unidentified human remains and this work continues to date."

An Garda Síochána are part of a working group which was established by the Department of Justice to explore the creation of an unidentified remains database with representatives from the Department of Justice, Forensic Science Ireland and the State Pathologists Office.

"Operation Runabay, which was established in 2017 by the Missing Persons Unit, has a particular focus on advancing the investigation of cases involving unidentified persons discovered along the western coast of the United Kingdom. 

"In recent years, the Missing Persons Unit has expanded this operation to include greater cooperation with the British National Crime Agency and other neighbouring jurisdictions, exchanging information related to missing persons and unidentified human remains both at home and in other jurisdictions,” Detective Chief Superintendent Colm Noonan said.