Gardaí believe a hackney driver found dead in a field in Co Clare on Saturday afternoon with his throat slit may have been killed in a botched robbery.
The remains were found dumped behind a tree by the side of an avenue which leads to Port House, a private property near the village of Ruan, around six kilometres from Ennis.
The man's maroon Mazda 626 car was found partly burned at the nearby village of Barefield early yesterday. It was removed to Dublin and is due to be forensically examined today.
While gardaí were last night awaiting formal confirmation of the victim's identity, the deceased was named locally as Mr Liam Moloney, formerly of Shanaway Road, Ennis .
Gardaí were last night trying to contact the dead man's siblings, some of whom live in London and San Francisco.
The 61-year-old, who was a retired operations manager with Aer Lingus at Shannon Airport, had recently separated from his wife and was living in Ennis town.
The victim's body was discovered on Saturday afternoon when the land owner was opening the gates to Port House at around 2.40 p.m. The scene was sealed off and members of the Garda Technical Bureau carried out a full examination. The Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Michael Curtis, arrived at the scene shortly before midday yesterday.
The body was removed from the scene shortly after 2 p.m. and taken to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick for a post-mortem. While gardaí would not confirm the extent of the victim's injuries it is known that the deceased's throat was cut during the fatal attack.
He has also sustained serious head injuries. No weapon was found where the body or car were discovered.
Gardaí are now trying to trace the last movements of Mr Moloney's hackney. They located the victim's vehicle parked on the roadway behind Considine's public house in Barefield village, a short distance from where the body was discovered.
Gardaí sources said the car was observed by several witnesses on Friday night at Ruan and later in Barefield village.
Supt John Kerin said three witnesses had come forward who had seen the car at around 8.15 p.m. on Friday at the entrance to Port House. The car was also seen two hours later at the rear of Considine's licensed premises.
"An attempt was made to burn the car and we are satisfied that the car was definitely there at about 10.00 p.m. on Friday. We are anxious to speak to anyone who met that car at any stage on Friday evening, or anyone who might have seen the car being parked near Considine's pub to contact us."
According to a colleague, Mr Moloney's last recorded fare was at 7 p.m. on Friday to Clarecastle, two kilometres from Ennis. Those who worked with him believe he may have later stopped to pick up a fare around the town.
Anyone who saw Mr Moloney's car in the Barefield, Port House and Ruan areas on Friday between 7 p.m. and midnight is asked to contact Ennis Garda station on 065-6848100.