The inquest into the deaths of four women in Kildare last July has heard their bodies were discovered three months after they were last seen in public. 83-year-old Frances Mulrooney and her three nieces, 46-year-old Josephine, and 51-year-old twins, Catherine and Ruth, were found dead by their landlord last July. It's believed they died from accidental poisoning caused by the build-up of fumes from the central heating.
The Kildare county coroner described the deaths of the Mulrooney sisters and their elderly aunt as tragic. The doors of the house in Rinawade Grove in Leixlip had been barricaded with a refrigerator and they had blocked the ventilation system. Its believed they died from accidental poisoning caused by the build-up of fumes from the central heating. The inquest today heard the women had not cashed social welfare cheques since April.
Three visits from a social welfare inspector in April got no response. A Garda later called to the house and said it appeared to be deserted. However their bodies were not discovered until July when their landlord went into the house. He had been trying to contact them for several days and had sent them a letter asking them to vacate the house. Their sister Teresa Doyle told the inquest she had not seen them since 1998 when they moved from their home in Sandy mount in Dublin.
A taxi driver who took the women from Dublin City centre to Leixlip may have been one of the last people to see them in public. Investigating Gardaí found a letter dated the 11th of June written by Josephine Mulrooney, which was never posted. Kildare coroner, Dr Denis Cusack, said it appeared the Mulrooney family led a quiet and retiring life. Their neighbours rarely saw them. Its believed the last time they were seen outside the home was on March 31, over three months before their bodies were found. A total of 20 witnesses will be called before this inquest which continues tomorrow.
