Doll found in child's coffin in 'tragic' Donegal case
Gardaí have found a plastic doll instead of a body in a child's coffin after they opened the grave.
The graveyard was cordoned off at Annagry, a Gaeltacht village in the west of Co Donegal, during the investigation.
Gardaí arrived at around 6am yesterday and placed a large black forensic tent around a grave. A small coffin was moved as part of the operation and it was first understood to contain the remains of a child who died within the past 18 months.
However, the Irish Independent reports a plastic doll was found in the coffin.
It is understood a couple in the area had claimed to have had a baby, but said later the infant had died. A funeral was held in Annagry.
However, a HSE official could find no record of a baby being born with the couple's family name, or on the date given for the birth.
Gardaí were called to investigate, which culminated in an exhumation and the doll was found.
The case is being treated as "tragic" and charges are understood to be unlikely.
