Gardaí seek public's help arising from discovery of body in the mountains in Laois

Gardaí have issued an appeal for assistance following the completion of a post mortem on the remains of a man whose body was discovered in the Slieve Bloom Mountains in Laois this week.

Full results are not being released for operational reasons but it us understood that it has not revealed sufficient evidence to confirm that the man did not die in suspicious circumstances.

However, the post mortem is understood to have revealed that exposure to the elements may have contributed to the death leading Gardaí to believe at this stage that there may have been an accidental cause.

As a result, Laois Offaly Division Gardaí are keeping an open mind on the circumstances surrounding the death of the man who was aged in his 40s at a popular scenic location known locally as The Cut.

The Garda Technical Bureau recovered the deceased's body on Tuesday night, February 4. The remains was discovered earlier that afternoon at the bottom of a steep drop near a car park.

The location of the remains was reported to Gardaí on Tuesday afternoon by his friends who had been socialising with him over the weekend in the area. Gardaí are still working on the assumption that he went missing while in the area and the friends had been looking for him up to discovering his body on Tuesday.

The body was  taken from the scene to the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise for post mortem which was carried out on behalf of the Office of the State Pathologist on Wednesday.

The deceased is understood to have been living in Offaly but was originally from one of the Baltic States in Eastern Europe. Gardaí have yet to release his name as they are still trying to contact relatives. 

Because the cause of death has not been confirmed, Gardaí would like to hear from anybody who might have been in the area around The Cut and who may have seen anything that could help with the investigation.

People can contact Gardaí in Portlaoise (057)  8674122 or Tullamore Gardaí (057) 932 7600 or at any Garda Station.