Gardaí investigating the unexplained death of a man in Dublin’s Phoenix Park have conducted an extensive search in the area for a weapon believed to have been used to inflict slash injuries on his body.
The man has been identified as Tomasz Robert Michowski (48), originally from Poland and living in Ireland.
An Garda Síochána said the man had availed of State support services over the recent period.
Gardaí believe he had been homeless for a period and was known to spend time in the park. He had a challenging background, with complex issues involved, sources said.
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Michowski had been in Ireland for over a decade and had spent living in Newbridge and Naas, both in Co Kildare. He had gone missing for a time in 2023, while living in Newbridge.
Gardaí launched a missing person’s investigation and appealed for information on his whereabouts, as his family were concerned for him. However, he turned up safe the day after that appeal was made.
Michowski, a father, is believed to be originally from Puławy, a city in eastern Poland. He had worked and studied in Ireland for more than 10 years in Carlow and Kildare.
Gardaí initially treated the discovery on Friday morning as a suspected murder after the man’s remains were found on open ground close to the Wellington Monument.
However, since the man’s identity and history have been confirmed, detectives have been keeping an open mind about whether he died at the hands of an attacker or whether there was no third-party involvement.
Gardaí were hopeful the discovery of a weapon at the scene could offer forensic evidence that would bring more clarity to their investigation.
The fact no weapon was found close to the body has also raised the possibility that, at the very least, another person was present when the man was fatally injured and took the weapon from the immediate vicinity.
Garda headquarters issued a statement on Saturday, after a postmortem on the man’s remains was completed, saying “a formal murder investigation has not commenced at this time”.
However, The Irish Times understands all of the resources of a murder inquiry remain committed to the case, with a significant investigation set to continue.
That inquiry can be formally upgraded to a murder investigation at any time, or reclassified as a personal tragedy, if there was no third-party involvement.
“The male has been identified and is aged in his 40s and original [sic] from eastern Europe, but living in Ireland for a number of years,” the Garda said in its latest statement on the case.
The man’s body was found at about 10.20am on Friday and the scene was immediately sealed off to allow the Garda Technical Bureau to carry out an examination.
A pathologist examined the remains at the scene before they were taken to the Dublin City Morgue for the postmortem.
The Garda said the “discovery of the deceased male continues to be fully resourced and co-ordinated from an incident room at Finglas Garda station under the direction of a senior investigating officer”.
The investigation team is attempting to piece together what happened at the scene and to confirm the last known sighting of the man while he was alive.
The man was found dead on a well-kept grass area immediately around the monument, visible from Chesterfield Avenue, rather than being concealed in a wooded area or undergrowth.
Anyone who was in the area between 2pm on Thursday and 10am on Friday is asked to come forward.
The time frame is large because detectives are trying to determine whether the dead man had been in the area from Thursday afternoon and, if so, what condition he was in and who he was with.
Specifically, gardaí believe a couple were in the area of the monument around the time the remains were found on Friday. They were described as a man and woman, probably in their 30s and possibly Italian.
Investigating gardaí wish to speak with any person who spoke with or engaged with Tomasz Robert Michowski between Monday, November 9th and Friday, November 13th.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Finglas Garda station 01-6667500, the Garda Confidential Phone number 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
