Man lay dead in Dublin home for up to three weeks, inquest hears

A man lay dead in his Dublin home for up to three weeks before he was found, an inquest heard.

Henry Scanlon (61) lived alone at Castlefield Way in Knocklyon and was found dead in an upstairs bedroom after his ex-wife, Mary Scanlon, became concerned about him.

The couple separated in 2003 but stayed in regular contact, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard.

Mary Scanlon tried phoning her ex-husband’s landline on May 21st but it had been disconnected. She called his mobile phone but it went straight to voicemail.

The following day she called to his home and rang the doorbell but there was no response. She could not gain access because she did not have a key.

On May 23rd she decided to call to gardaí in Rathfarnham to ask if she could bring a locksmith to the house. Upon gaining entry, she noticed an odour and called Mr Scanlon’s name but there was no response. She then called gardaí.

Garda Kim Fitzpatick, of Rathfarnham Garda station, received a call around 4.20pm to go to the house. She noticed a large amount of unopened mail in the porch. Upstairs, she found Mr Scanlon’s decomposed remains in a bedroom.

A postmortem found traces of valium and alcohol in his system but the cause of death was not determined due to the level of decomposition.

It is thought his death occurred around the beginning of May, the court heard.

Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane noted there was "nothing to indicate trauma and nothing of a suspicious nature".

“Its more likely than not that this was a natural death but we cannot be sure,” the coroner said, returning an open verdict. “There is insufficient evidence to say exactly what happened.”