Gardaí are still seeking information on brutal killing

ANYONE with information about the murder of Corkman Frankie Dunne almost two years ago can come forward in confidence to gardaí.

That is according to Chief Superintendent Tom Myers, who said the probe into the brutal killing remains open and active.

The dismembered body of 64-year-old Mr Dunne was found in the garden of a vacant house on Boreenmanna Road on December 28, 2019.

It is believed Mr Dunne was killed before his murderer then began dismembering his body.

His body was discovered by a person looking for their cat.

He is believed to have been murdered on the evening or night of December 27.

In July 2020, one man was arrested by investigating gardaí. The man, who was in his 50s, was questioned about aiding a suspect in the murder to flee the country in the aftermath of the killing.

He was questioned in Gurranabraher Garda Station, under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act which allows gardaí detain suspects for up to 24 hours. He was released without charge.

Man travelled back to Romania

He was questioned about aiding a Romanian man in his 20s to flee from Cork after the murder.

The Romanian travelled from Cork to Belfast, and onto Edinburgh, before continuing to Bucharest.

Weeks after the killing, a team of detectives travelled to Romania to interview the man.

The visit followed contact with Romanian police through Interpol.

The interview took place in a police station in Bucharest and the man voluntarily agreed to be interviewed. Four detectives from Cork travelled to Bucharest with a Romanian member of An Garda Siochana for the meeting.

Gardaí have described the man as a “person of interest” in their investigation into the murder of 64-year-old Mr Dunne. Investigators then worked through the interview given by the Romanian man to verify and back up what he said during the meeting with gardaí.

Forensics samples were also taken from the man during the interview and were sent to Dublin for analysis to establish if they matched anything taken from the scene.

Although the man travelled to Romania in the immediate aftermath of the murder, sources said the man had travelled on pre-booked tickets.

Both the interview and the arrest of the man last year on suspicion of aiding the suspect, are included in the garda file for the DPP, who will decide if there is sufficient evidence to charge either man. In the case of the Romanian interview, a European Arrest Warrant would have to be sought but only if the man was to be charged.