Reclusive man, 61, lay dead in home for up to four months, inquest hears
A 61-year-old reclusive man was found dead in his home months after he was last seen alive, an inquest heard.
Dublin Coroner’s Court heard that James Plunkett of Crofton Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin died in early January 2017 but his body was not discovered until April 8 2017.
The court heard that the man began a reclusive lifestyle following the death of his mother and changed locks at the house preventing family members gaining access.
“It was not unusual for him not to open the door,” the man’s sister Pauline Fox told the court.
She last saw him alive at the end of November 2016 and she spoke to him on the phone on Christmas Day.
A neighbour alerted her upon seeing flashing blue lights outside the man’s home on April 8, 2017.
She went immediately to the scene where she was told her brother was deceased.
Gardaí were alerted by a call on that date and went to the address to investigate.
They called Dublin Fire Brigade to gain access to the house via the back door. Mr Plunkett was found slumped against the front door in a badly decomposed state. Gardaí found a ladder on the floor next to him and a blood stain next to the body.
“The call came from a concerned neighbour who reported that they had not seen him for some time,” Garda Lauren O’Shea of Dun Laoghaire Garda Station told the court.
“Family members arrived and reported that the man had secluded himself from the rest of his family,” Gda O’Shea said.
“The call that came in was anonymous but neighbours said it wasn’t unusual for them not to see him. The last reported sighting of him by neighbours was before Christmas,” Gda O’Shea said.
The man was a recipient of social welfare and regularly collected his payments. However records showed that the last payment he collected was in early January.
Gardai used dental records to make a formal identification and a post-mortem was conducted. The autopsy revealed the man had sustained a subdural hemorrhage.
“This is bleeding over the top of the brain and it happens if you hit your head,” Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane explained to the family.
Speaking from the public gallery a family member said the fuse box for the house was located high up in the hallway and he may have used the ladder to reach it.
"He fell off that ladder and hit his head and that is what tragically brought about his death. The timing is difficult to establish but this may have happened in early January," the coroner said, returning a verdict of accidental death.
