Mummified couple lay dead for nearly a year

Inquest told private elderly pair wanted to withdraw from society

- OLIVIA KELLEHER

A RETIRED sea captain and his 79-year-old wife found mummified at their remote bungalow last June had been dead for at least a year, their inquest has heard. 

Tragic Nicholas Smith, 82, who joined the Merchant Navy and then worked on cruise ships in Australia, died of severe coronary artery disease.

Chief State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan said that gardai had been unable to ascertain a cause of death for his wife, Hillary, as her body was so severely decomposed.

Foul play was not a factor in the deaths of the British nationals who were described by neighbours as a “private couple.” They had been married since 1967 and lived in Co Tipperary.

Dr Mulligan said that it was a “fair assumption” that the pair died around the same time. However, she was unable to provide an exact time frame for the deaths or to say whether the husband or wife passed away first.

Det Garda Michelle Cahill told the inquest at Clonmel Garda Station that a milk carton was found in the fridge of the couple’s property when they were found dead on June 20, 2022.

A receipt indicated that it had been purchased in SuperValu, Callan, Co Kilkenny on December 17, 2020 with a best before date of December 27.