The body of Patrick Nugent, who died in 1984 under mysterious circumstances at Bunratty Folk Park, will be exhumed as part of a renewed Garda investigation into his death.
At 23 years old, Mr. Nugent, a banquet manager, was found injured after an event celebrating a local couple, and he later died from his injuries; no one has been convicted in connection with his death.
Nugent’s family believes he was murdered and that the case was covered up, having undergone various legal proceedings over the last 40 years, including trials and inquiries.
Forensic experts will examine Nugent’s remains to uncover new evidence, with hopes that anthropological findings will lead to fresh investigative insights and possibly a renewed strategy for solving the case.
Family solicitor Kevin Winters of KRW LAW Human Rights lawyers shared: I understand that there will be a team of forensic experts tasked with the examination of the remains. A key area will be the tests undertaken on bones to see if those results might alter hitherto settled narratives on the case. We hope those anthropological findings will provide new investigative leads for Gardai in all their follow up inquiries. In many ways we hope this historic investigative milestone will pave the way for a renewed investigative strategy. After all this time it’s the least the family can expect to achieve.”
