An elderly couple found dead in their home in Co Kerry both died by suicide, a coroner has ruled after hearing evidence that suggested they opted to end their lives after one of them became seriously ill.
Tony and Phyllis Gilbert, both aged 83, were found deceased in a bedroom by gardaí at their home at Dromneavane estate in Kenmare on November 14th, 2021, after their daughter-in-law Beryl Gilbert found a note on the front door advising callers to notify gardaí.
Gda James Hendricks told Kerry County Coroner’s Court that when he entered the property, he found the couple in a bedroom at the end of the corridor, lying in separate beds. Neither were breathing, both were pale in colour and rigor mortis had set in.
There was no sign of any struggle or disturbance in the house and there was no sign that any party had been restrained. Both were pronounced dead at the scene by a local GP.
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Chief State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan said that she carried out postmortems on both deceased at University Hospital Kerry and found that Ms Gilbert had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer while Mr Gilbert had ischaemic heart disease.
Earlier, the inquest heard from the Gilberts’ daughter-in-law Beryl that the couple had moved in 1993 from the UK to Kenmare where they ran a glass-engraving business for many years before they retired but Phyllis Gilbert in particular had suffered from poor health in recent years.
The inquest heard via an affidavit from the couple’s solicitor, Vincent Coakley, that they had come to him on November 10th to make a will and, while Ms Gilbert was physically in some discomfort, he judged her to be of sound mind and capable of making a will.
Beryl Gilbert had told how the couple had become quite reclusive after Covid and Mr Coakley said they were reluctant for him to call to their house to get them to sign documents as there had been a recent surge in Covid in Kenmare and Mr Gilbert was worried about his wife’s health.
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Coroner Aisling Quilter noted the couple had left a recorded message for gardaí and while she didn’t want to read out a full transcript of the recording in open court, she did quote one line where they said: “We have been together in life and now we are together in sleep.”
She said that, from Dr Mulligan’s evidence and the evidence of other witnesses, she was satisfied the appropriate verdicts in both cases were ones of suicide and she extended her sympathies to the Gilbert family while Sgt Aoife Doran sympathised on behalf of the Garda.
Anyone affected by the issues raised in this story can contact the Samaritans’ freephone helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 116 123 or by emailing jo@samaritans.ie or Pieta House’s 24-hour freephone crisis helpline on 1800 247 247.
