Couple found dead in Co Kerry house are named locally

Gardaí expect postmortem examinations on Wednesday will confirm that a man and woman found in their home in Co Kerry on Tuesday morning died from carbon monoxide poisoning in an apparent double suicide.

The bodies of the couple, named locally as David (52) and Hazel Byrne (51) were found by members of the Kerry County Fire Service when they entered the couple’s bungalow home at Mountain Stage outside Glenbeigh on the Ring of Kerry on Tuesday morning.

Locals had gone to check on the couple and found a notice on the door warning people not to enter because of carbon monoxide and they immediately raised the alarm and gardaí requested the assistance of Kerry County Fire Service.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the house and found the bodies of the couple in a bedroom. Once the house was vented and made safe, gardaí preserved the scene and requested the services of a State Pathologist.

It is understood a postmortem will take place on Mr and Ms Byrne’s remains at University Hospital Kerry on Wednesday which gardaí expect will confirm that both died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Garda sources said the formal identification of the couple is likely to involve either dental records or DNA samples as it is understood that both remains were badly decomposed in the sealed house possibly since early October.

The Byrnes were originally from Mallow in North Cork but sold their home at Ballinvuskig outside the town around 2018 and moved to Glenbeigh. Gardaí notified the Byrnes’s relatives in Mallow of the tragedy though it is understood they had not been in contact with their families for years.

Although the south Kerry area between Glenbeigh and Cahersiveen prides itself on the closeness of its local community, few speaking to The Irish Times on Tuesday knew the local couple.

The house on a corner of the busy Ring of Kerry road on the Wild Atlantic Way was sealed off as forensic gardaí examined the property surrounded by Garda tape. Curtains were drawn and there was just one window open.

Two Volvo cars were parked within the sealed off area. Neither had been driven in some time; one of the car’s front tyres was deflated.

Locals knew them to walk on the beach in the summer evenings.

Margaret Houlihan, who lives opposite the green bungalow where the Byrnes lived, was shocked at news of the deaths. She said he didn’t know the couple and rarely saw them.

“It is very very sad. I couldn’t believe it when I heard it. I walk every day around here,” she said.

The couple are believed to have bought the bungalow a few years ago.

At a local Centra shop in Glenbeigh village, those inside could not place the couple, but shared the community’s sadness.

Locals recalled Ms Byrne dropping into the post office in Glenbeigh now and again, while her husband remained in the car.

Locals said that it was several months since the couple were last seen. Groceries were delivered to their home by grocery vans.

Garda technical experts began an examination of the scene on Tuesday, and it is understood that they found a number of notes confirming the couple’s intention to end their own lives while they also found equipment they had used to produce carbon monoxide.

It is understood gardaí have also begun examining the dates on perishable food items such as milk as well as checking on any bank activity by the couple, which might indicate when they were last alive. It is understood the couple may not have used mobile phones out of security concerns.

Local Kerry Fianna Fáil TD Michael Cahill said the discovery of the two bodies was very sad news and people’s thoughts were very much with the family of the deceased who kept very much to themselves since they arrived in the area.

“This is a terrible tragedy which has cast a shadow over Glenbeigh and Rossbeigh this morning. The couple were very private and didn’t really mix much – you would see them on occasion walking the beach in Rossbeigh but they were very private. It’s very sad.”

.GardaíGardaí have opened an investigation following the discovery of two bodies in Glenbeigh, Co KerryCo Kerry

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