In a peaceful residential district in Cork, locals believed that a lady had relocated back to Britain after her mother’s passing in 2021. However, the body of 58-year-old Joyce O’Mahony was discovered at her home in Brookfield Lawn, near Cork’s Lough, on Tuesday. Authorities estimate that the body had been there undetected for nearly a year and a half. Born as the youngest of Dr Tim and Patricia O’Mahony’s four children, Joyce leaves behind a sister and two brothers.
A resident, who preferred anonymity, revealed their perception was Joyce had moved back to England following Patricia’s, her mother’s demise at the age of 91, in a Ballincollig care home in January 2021. Joyce had previously moved back from England about a decade ago to look after her aging mother following her father, Tim’s death. She maintained her caregiver role through COVID, accompanying her mother through the hospital and into a nursing home.
The local noted that Joyce was known for her introverted lifestyle, often seen up at night and resting during the day. Rarely spotted outside, the consensus among the community was that she had returned to England, due to her scarcity.
Joyce had siblings, however, they had limited interaction. Despite their attempts to assist her, she generally declined them. For example, a few years ago, when a brother sent workers to manicure the front garden, she dismissed them. The front yard has appeared neglected for years, with an overgrown tree concealing light from entering the house, even overshadowing a car in the driveway. Her home was soon mistaken for being vacant, contributing to the belief of her departure.
Tenants residing in the neighbourhood expressed they hadn’t noticed anybody entering or leaving Joyce’s house in the past two to three years, leading them to presume it was abandoned and dilapidated.
Ms. O’Mahony, who was fond of equestrian activities in her younger years and clinched several pony gymkhana victories as a teenager, later moved from Cork to the UK. However, the circumstances of her departure and her life in the UK remain unclear, as does the means by which she sustained herself upon returning to Cork.
The death of Ms. O’Mahony continues to be actively investigated by the Garda, the primary focus being to ascertain the exact timeline of her demise. This investigation will lead to the preparation of a file for a coroner’s inquest at Cork City Coroner’s Court.
In their efforts to determine whether she might have still been alive by autumn 2022, Gardaí have started conducting house-to-house inquiries in her neighbourhood. It remains uncertain whether this hypothesis is founded on a neighbour’s statement, or based on any documents or objects found at her home.
Corroboration of Ms. O’Mahony’s identity was formally provided by Dr Margot Bolster, the Assistant State Pathologist, by means of dental records during a postmortem at Cork University Hospital. Dr Bolster also ruled out foul play in her tragic demise. Nonetheless, the exact date of her death could not be determined based on the postmortem alone.
To pinpoint her time of death, the Gardaí are banking on potential clues that may be gleaned from undelivered mail discovered in her home’s hallway, food with expiry dates, and bank transactions.