Gardaí believe a man in his 70s who was found dead at his home in north Co Dublin late on Thursday night was attacked by a person known to him.
The victim was named locally on Friday night as Scott George, an academic and married father with adult children.
The alarm was raised just after 11.20pm and emergency services personnel who responded pronounced the victim dead at the scene. When gardaí and paramedics arrived at the property in Tobersool, near Balbriggan, another man was present and he was arrested for questioning about the fatal attack.
Though the inquiry is at an early stage, gardaí are trying to determine the mental state of the arrested man and whether that was a factor.
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There were no signs of a break-in at the property and it is believed Mr George and the arrested man, who is in his 20s, were well known to each other.
Gardaí believe Mr George was fatally stabbed. All the resources of a homicide inquiry have been committed to the case. It is understood nobody else was in the house at the time of the attack.
The alarm was raised after a call was made from inside the property to a third party, who then contacted gardaí.
Mr George was unresponsive when paramedics and gardaí arrived at the scene and though efforts were made to treat him, they were not successful.
His remains were left in situ overnight and the house was sealed off as a crime scene. The property underwent an examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau on Friday.
The Office of the State Pathologist was also notified late on Thursday night and a pathologist carried out a preliminary examination of the victim’s remains where they were found before the body was removed for a postmortem examination.
Gardaí said the man arrested in connection with the investigation was being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, at a Garda station in the Co Dublin area. He can be questioned for up to 24 hours without charge.
“A senior investigating officer has been appointed to lead the inquiry, and an incident room has been established at Balbriggan Garda station,” Garda Headquarters said in a statement on Friday.
Gardaí have also appealed for witnesses to come forward, particularly those who were in the Tobersool area between 10pm and 11.20pm on Thursday. The investigation team, based in Balbriggan Garda station, is especially keen to hear from anyone recording video in the area at the relevant time, including motorists using dashcam.
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