Gardaí investigating a gangland killing in Limerick have examined the remains of a burned-out car that may have belonged to the murder victim.
The car was recovered on Monday night near the area where the body of 23-year-old Michael Campbell-McNamara was discovered dumped in a field off Fedamore Road on the city's south side. The body was discovered by a man out walking his dog before 10 a.m. on Monday.
A post-mortem examination by the Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, found the victim had died from gunshot wounds to the body. His hands and feet had been bound, and it appears he had been shot a number of times in an "execution-style" killing.
It was unclear whether he was killed at the scene or whether he was murdered elsewhere and his body dumped in the field
Campbell-McNamara, who was originally from Southill but had an address at Cherrydale Court, Dublin Road, was well-known to gardaí in Limerick.
He had close criminal associations with one of the factions in the well-publicised feud in the city, which has already resulted in three murders. The victim may have been targeted because of his connections with this gang, based in the Island Field area of Limerick.
Described as a hardened criminal, he may also have been involved in a separate violent dispute in the Southill area of the city.
It is understood he had recently left Limerick Prison, where he had been serving a jail sentence.
Gardaí investigating the killing say the discovery of the burned-out car may be significant. One theory being examined is that Campbell-McNamara may have been forced to drive at gunpoint to the isolated spot, where he was executed before the car was burned out.
"We can confirm that a car was found burned out. At this stage we can't positively say that it was connected to the victim, although we are looking at that aspect," said Insp Gerry McNamara of Roxboro station.
Gardaí are appealing for anyone who was in the vicinity of the Fedamore Road area last Sunday night or Monday morning to contact them at the incident room in Roxboro Garda Station on 061-214349.