Gsoc examining case of missing man found dead in Finglas, Dublin
over 3 years in The Irish Times
A man whose body was discovered in north Dublin on Saturday, days after he was reported missing, had an interaction with gardaí before he disappeared.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) is now reviewing the case after Garda Headquarters referred the matter to the Garda complaints agency.
The remains of 21-year-old Finglas man Craig Gifford were found in the River Road area of Ashtown on Saturday afternoon and the missing person’s search for him was stood down.
Gardaí were awaiting the results of a postmortem to determine the cause of Mr Gifford’s death and whether there was any third party involvement, which gardaí do not suspect at this stage.
Mr Gifford’s family last saw him on Wednesday when he left his home in Finglas and when they were unable to contact him they became concerned for his welfare and reported him missing to the Garda.
A public appeal was made urging anyone who saw Mr Gifford to contact gardaí and a description of him, and the clothes he was wearing when he left home, was circulated.
However, that appeal came to nothing and Garda Headquarters, Phoenix Park, Dublin, confirmed his remains had been found on Saturday. It added as the deceased man had interacted with gardaí before he disappeared, the case had been referred to Gsoc for examination.
It appears Mr Gifford was seen by gardaí on Wednesday in the Finglas area - not far from where he was found dead on Saturday - but that he ran away as gardaí tried to stop him to speak to him.
Gsoc investigates complaints made by members of the public against gardaí. It also investigates the death of any person who has died or suffered injury at or around the time they were in contact with Garda members, including those who have been in custody or have had a more casual interaction with Garda members.
The Garda is legally obliged to refer cases to Gsoc if they become aware a person has died or suffered injury around the time they have been in contact with members of the force, even if that contact was not directly linked the circumstances of their death or the injury they suffered.