Gardaí are trying to piece together the last 12 hours of a man found fatally beaten in a Dublin suburban park on Friday morning.
A murder inquiry has begun after a postmortem on the remains of Ioan Artene Bob (49), a father-of-one who had never come to the attention of the Garda.
The Romanian national was found seriously injured but still alive in Sean Walsh Park, Tallaght, on Friday morning.
A passerby found Mr Bob just before 8am and immediately alerted the emergency services. Paramedics arrived on the scene and treated him before he was taken to Tallaght Hospital.
However, efforts by medical staff to save him proved unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead in hospital on Friday evening.
Gardaí suspected from the outset that he had been the victim of a beating and all the resources of a murder inquiry were committed to the investigation.
Beating proved fatal
A postmortem examination confirmed injuries consistent with being beaten had proven fatal. The Garda inquiry was formally ungraded to a murder inquiry.
Mr Bob had been in Ireland for three years. He worked in construction and had a partner and a son aged 8 in Romania.
He had come to Ireland to find work and was employed in the construction trade. He had been working in the Carrickmines area of south Dublin of late and was unknown to the Garda.
The last confirmed sighting of him was on Moore Street in the north inner city at about 8.30pm. His movements from that time until he was discovered unconscious and injured in Tallaght are unknown.
Gardaí in Tallaght are appealing for anyone who knew Mr Bob, or who may have seen him during that missing 12-hour period, to come forward.
They have also appealed for anyone who may know why he was in Tallaght, or of any links he had to the area, to come forward confidentially.
Mr Bob has a sister in Dublin and had previously been living with her in the city. However, he had moved out of that home some time ago and it is unclear where he moved to.
It appears none of his colleagues or family knew where he was living, and gardaí are still trying to uncover that information.
Sealed off immediately
The scene in Sean Walsh Park where he was found injured was sealed off immediately gardaí arrived there on Friday morning after the alarm was raised.
It has since undergone an examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau. While the investigation is at an early stage, it appears he may not have been assaulted at the spot where he was found.
Gardaí are operating on the theory he was attacked, including being kicked repeatedly, a short distance away. It appears he somehow made his way to the location in the park where he was found.
He had suffered multiple internal injuries from the beating. Gardaí have urged anyone who knew him at any time in Ireland to come forward and assist in piecing together his circumstances in Dublin.
Supt Ian Lackey, based at Tallaght Garda station, said 40 gardaí were working on the murder case.
He confirmed the dead man’s address was unknown but he does not appear to have been homeless.
“I want to pass on my condolences to Ioan’s family, friends and work colleagues,” he said. “A postmortem was held this morning, and Ioan died of serious body injuries. We believe they were as a result of a serious assault.
“An incident room has been established at Tallaght Garda station. We have 40-plus detectives working on it since yesterday afternoon. And they continue to work on it as we speak.”
Anyone with information on Mr Bob’s movements or who knew him in Ireland is asked to contact Tallaght gardaí on 01-666 6000.
