An inquest into the death of a homeless man was held on Tuesday despite uncertainty around his identity.
When Piotr Torng (41) died in November of last year, his body was held in a morgue in Dublin city for six months.
He was believed to have lived in Ireland for around 11 years. A brief death notice on RIP.ie listed Mr Torng’s address as Dublin and formerly Lithuania, and he was known to homeless services, the Department of Social Welfare and the Irish Prison Service.
None of these agencies, however, could confirm they had ever formally identified Piotr Torng. No next of kin could be found for him, and Garda inquiries through Interpol were unsuccessful in establishing his identity.
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Last month, an inquest into Mr Torng’s death was adjourned in the hope evidence confirming his identity could be produced at a later date. On Tuesday morning, the adjourned inquest was held at Dublin Coroner’s Court despite a lack of progress.
Coroner Dr Clare Keane, said “extensive inquiries were made” into sourcing proof of Mr Torng’s identification. Gda Jen Woodlock, who attended at St James’s Hospital and took a report from an ICU nurse on Mr Torng’s death, went through all available channels to produce documentation.
With that in mind, Dr Keane recorded the death of a man “known as” Piotr Torng, and placed his name on the missing persons list.
The inquest heard that Mr Torng had been brought to St James’s Hospital for a suspected cardiac arrest last November. In the 12 days he spent there, Mr Torng suffered another three or four cardiac arrests. An MRI scan found that he was brain dead, and an end-of-life care plan was put into effect.
In April, Mr Torng was buried in the Alice Leahy Trust plot in Glasnevin Cemetery, a resting place primarily used for men who lived on the streets and had no one to take care of their burial when they died.
The Trust organised a funeral ceremony which was attended by 10 people and lasted about 20 minutes.
Mr Torng was a resident at the Peter McVerry Trust hostel on St Stephen’s Green. He had been described as a good artist, but a secretive man, who shared a room with four others who were friends.
