More than 20 families have contacted a new charity established two months ago to help those whose loved ones have died in so called "hidden homicides".
These are cases where people have been found dead and families have suspicions over what exactly happened to them.
The Katie Trust was created in memory of Katie Simpson, a young showjumper whose sister's boyfriend was on trial for her murder in Co Derry in August 2020.
The murder accused, Jonathan Creswell, who died during the trial, initially claimed she had died after trying to take her own life.
The police treated the case as suicide for months - despite concerns raised by family members and some police officers - before switching focus to a murder inquiry.
Former PSNI officer James Brannigan raised concerns about the original Katie Simpson investigation and established the Katie Trust in July to help other families in similar cases.
'Shocked' by amount of families seeking help
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, he said: "I've been shocked by the amount of families who've come to the trust for help. We have 19 families we are supporting and more we need to get back to over the coming days.
"Mostly where there are questions around the loved one's death. Looking at the cases we have, there are between six and eight which cause me deep concern and in these, I believe there are homicides at the root of them."
Mr Brannigan insists his charity would not seek to supplant the role of the police, but rather help families interact with authorities where they have concerns.
The Katie Trust is seeking to operate on a cross-border basis and Mr Brannigan says he has already engaged with Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan.
The family of Kelly Lynch are among those currently receiving support from the Katie Trust.
Ms Lynch was found dead in a canal in Monaghan on St Patrick's Day last year.
The 23-year-old, originally from Lisnakea in Co Fermanagh, was discovered with 93 injuries to her body. Gardaí are not treating her death as suspicious but last autumn launched a peer review of the initial investigation after criticism from the Lynch family.
Then garda commissioner Drew Harris said a peer review did not constitute a re-investigation but was rather to help establish whether there were any new lines of inquiry for officers to peruse. The peer review is still to be completed.
"We want to do the heavy lifting and help the Lynch family interact with An Garda Síochána," Mr Brannigan said.
'Immediate concerns' over Kelly Lynch case
"As a detective who investigated homicides for 18 years, I have immediate concerns over the Kelly Lynch case. Where needed, the charity will bring in the experts and do a report.
"We've already commissioned another post-mortem to be carried out on Kelly Lynch by a UK-based pathologist. And that report will be for the Lynch family to use," he added.
Mr Brannigan says he is hoping to establish a memorandum of understanding with An Garda Síochána and the PSNI so that the charity is "not working in conflict with either force", but can rather "sit in between families and police".
Aside from investigative functions, the Katie Trust also provides counselling to families.
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'Hidden homicides' charity established to assist families
Behind the Story: Charity hopes to give families answers to possible 'hidden homicides'
