Death of couple in Co Clare investigated as murder-suicide

Gardaí investigating the deaths of married couple, Claire and Joe Collins, are treating the case as a murder-suicide. Detectives believe Mr Collins (54) killed his wife (51), who was found dead in a bedroom of their Co Clare home, and then took his own life in an outhouse at the detached bungalow.

Their remains were discovered at about 2.30pm on Thursday at the family home in the townland of Crossard, Kilnaboy. A caller to the property contacted the emergency services who then sealed off the scene on arrival. It is understood the couple had been dead for at least a matter of hours when the discovery was made.

While the results of the postmortems on the remains of the couple have not been released by the Garda for operational reasons, which is standard, gardaí believe Mrs Collins was asphyxiated, possibly smothered, by her husband who then took his own life.

Investigating gardaí have confirmed they were not looking for anyone else in relation in relation to the deaths, adding their inquiry was focused on preparing a file for the coroner’s court. Gardaí were expected to interview relatives and friends of the couple in a bid to determine a possible motive for the murder-suicide.

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Gardaí are trying to establish if Mr Collins was suffering any mental or physical health issues, although none were immediately obvious. While the file being prepared by the coroner’s court is likely to contain significant amounts of evidence and statements, the inquest process only focuses on the manner of a person’s death, rather than exploring motives, even in the case of murder.

Mrs Collins was the manager of the Burren Visitor Centre in Kilfenora while Mr Collins worked as a butcher in Ennis. They had two adult daughters and had recently become grandparents. Their joint death notice featured a photograph of the couple on their wedding day and said their deaths had “occurred unexpectedly”.

Their remains are due to repose at St Brigid’s Church, Corofin, on Sunday from 5pm, with prayers at 7.30pm. A funeral mass is due to take place at 11am on Monday followed by a cremation service at Shannon Crematorium at 2pm.

Lisdoonvarna-based Fine Gael councillor Joe Garrihy said there was “a numbness and a disbelief” in north Co Clare as news of the deaths spread. He said he knew Ms Collins through her work and she was “a fantastic lady”. He said “this is just an awful tragedy for her family and for everyone involved”.

“She was a very professional and a very capable person and always built a good relationship with everyone around her.”

Mr Collins was a keen cyclist and a member of the Ennis-based Dolmen Cycling Club. In a statement on its Facebook page, the club offered its sympathies to the couple’s family and friends.