An inquest into the death of a 41-year-old man who was homeless has heard no proof of his formal identity could be established despite extensive efforts by gardaí and the Dublin District Coroner's Court.
The man, who is believed to be Piotr Torng, died in St James’s Hospital in Dublin on 20 November 2024, 12 days after he had been brought to hospital by ambulance after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest.
A previous sitting of the inquest into Mr Torng’s death last month heard evidence that no official documentation or next of kin could be found to formally confirm his identity.
An official with the Peter McVerry Trust, Laura Feehan, testified that there had been a question about whether Mr Torng, who is believed to have been a Lithuanian national and who had been in Ireland for around 11 years, used his real name but she had never seen anything to suggest otherwise.
Evidence was also heard that photographs matching him to that name were on record with the Irish Prison Service.
Coroner Clare Keane adjourned the hearing to allow further inquiries to be made to try and establish if his formal identification could be established.
At a resumed hearing this morning, Garda Jen Woodlock said she had been informed by hospital staff that Mr Torng had suffered three to four more cardiac arrests after he had been brought to St James’s Hospital on 8 November 2024.
The inquest heard that an MRI scan on Mr Torng had confirmed he was brain dead and an end-of-life care plan was put in place.
He was formally pronounced dead at 6.50pm on 20 November 2024.
Garda Woodlock said hospital staff confirmed to her that they had no contact details on file for any next of kin of the deceased.
She told the coroner that gardaí had subsequently made inquiries with the Department of Social Protection and Interpol to try and confirm Mr Torng's identity without success.
Garda Woodlock said his DNA was also tested by Forensic Science Ireland but no match was found on its database.
"We were not able to trace any next of kin," she added.
Since the adjourned hearing, Garda Woodlock said further inquiries were made with the Department of Social Protection as well as several embassies including those of the three Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - as well as Ukraine and Russia.
The inquest heard that contact was also made with multiple homeless agencies and the Irish Prison Service.
Although it was accepted that the deceased was known as Piotr Torng, Garda Woodlock said no formal proof of his identity could be found.
Dr Keane said a post-mortem examination on his body showed he died from a lack of oxygenated blood to the brain as a result of a cardiac arrest, which was due to septic shock brought on by pneumonia.
The coroner said toxicology tests had found evidence of opiates and cannabis in his system.
She noted that he had a history of alcohol dependency, while there was evidence of cirrhosis to his liver.
Dr Keane observed that a brain test on Mr Torng on 20 November 2024 showed that his injuries were "unsurvivable."
Recording a narrative verdict, the coroner said she would formally place on his death certificate that the deceased was "known as Piotr Torng" to reflect the fact that no formal evidence had been obtainable to confirm his identity despite extensive inquiries.
The corner said she would also place his name on the database of missing persons "in case something should arise in the future."
Mr Torng, who was a regular visitor to a centre for homeless people operated by the Alice Leahy Trust in the Liberties, was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in April 2025 in a plot owned by the charity.
