A man who was found on a Dublin street with head and facial injuries last week has died in hospital sparking a murder investigation.
Eddie McCabe, of Rafters Lane, Drimnagh, suffered serious head and facial injuries in the attack last Friday night.
The unemployed 21-year-old, a father of one, was found unconscious in a laneway off Tyrconnell Road, Inchicore, at 10.15pm.
He was taken to St James Hospital where he never regained consciousness. He died last night. A post mortem is due to take place later today. Detectives believe Mr McCabe was not attacked at the scene, but assaulted elsewhere and dumped in the laneway.
Gardai today appealed for information from anyone who knew of the victim's whereabouts last Friday, where he was assaulted and how he was dumped.
"He received a savage beating, a severe savage beating, and suffered severe head and facial injuries," said Superintendent Thady Muldoon, of Keven Street garda station.
"There are people who have information, we are fully aware of that, there are people who know what happened to Eddie and we are appealing to them to come forward." Mr McCabe, who lived with his parents, was the father a young child believed to be about six months old.
"His parents are severely traumatised," Mr Muldoon continued. "I want to extend the sympathies of An Garda Siochana to the family who have suffered severe trauma over the last week."
Mr McCabe was found by a local resident who was parking a vehicle in a laneway behind a row of houses. It is believed the victim had not been there for more than 30 minutes. It is known that Mr McCabe was in Drimnagh last Friday evening and later in the Dolphins Barn area.
"We have already done fairly comprehensive house-to-house enquiries in the Tyrconnell Road area where the deceased was located," the garda said. "Our main appeal is now to individuals who we are sure are out there who have information as to where this assault may have taken place and who was involved. "At the moment we don't know what implements or weapons were used.
"We assume there may have been more than one person involved but that's something that will become clear as the inquiry moves on." Mr Muldoon said the victim had been known to the gardai, but refused to say in what capacity. "At this stage our investigations are following several lines of inquiries, but we wouldn't be able to say yet what contributed to this," he continued.
"Our investigation to date would indicate that perhaps where Eddie McCabe was located was not where the actual assault took place and we feel that it may have occurred elsewhere and that he was dumped there."