A man’s decomposed body was found in a Dublin city centre apartment after maggots began to fall into the property below, an inquest has heard.
The remains of Daniel Curtain, 54 O'Brien Hall, Gardiner Street, Dublin 1, were found in the apartment next to his on September 18th, 2014.
The deceased was a hoarder, whose apartment was so full of rubbish that he often slept outside, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard.
The inquest was told that 53 O'Brien Hall became vacant in July 2014 and that the front door could be pushed open as it had been broken in by Dublin Fire Brigade responding to an emergency call.
Edward Lynch, who was living directly below the apartment where Mr Curtain was found dead, said he noticed the maggots falling from the ceiling on September 17th, 2014.
He went upstairs and saw maggots coming from under the door of the apartment and contacted Dublin City Council.
Relatives
Garda Patrick Dunne attended the scene and said he saw a "badly decomposed body lying face down on the floor in the bathroom".
He said he contacted the US embassy and Interpol in an attempt to identify the body so relatives could be notified.
He was told that Mr Curtain was originally from New Jersey and had an ex-wife and son from whom he was estranged. He spoke to the man's sister, Maura McGreevy, who said she wanted nothing to do with the identification process.
DNA analysis matched the body with a profile specimen from a toothbrush taken from Mr Curtain’s apartment.
Medical records showed Mr Curtain had collapsed at Starbucks on College Green and was treated in hospital on August 18th. He was last seen alive on August 22nd by apartment caretaker Derek Kelehan.
A postmortem report noted the cause of death as undetermined due to decomposition. Coroner Dr Brian Farrell returned an open verdict and said Mr Curtain may have died on or about August 22nd, 2014.