A Tipperary community was left in shock last Monday after an elderly couple was found dead in their home.
Officers discovered the bodies of Nicholas Smith, 81, and his wife Hilary, 79, after a man who lived nearby altered them as he became concerned at the house's unkempt nature and the fact that the couple's car had not been moved for over 12 months.
The couple is suspected to have been lying dead in the home for up to 18 months as locals in the rural area of Cloneen believed the couple had moved to France during the pandemic.
READ MORE: New details emerge in Tipperary deaths as gardai believe 'woman died of illness'
A post-mortem carried out on Mr Smith concluded that the 81-year-old had died of natural causes. While gardai now believe Mrs Smith may have died due to illness after her post-mortem proved medically inconclusive .
As the bodies of the couple, originally from England, had been lying in the home for some time, it is unlikely the mystery will ever be solved. Gardaí have also been in contact with police in the UK to find relatives of the pair, but to date, no next of kin has been notified.
Another line of enquiry being explored by gardai is why the bodies of the pair were found in separate locations in the home. Mr Smith was found in the bedroom. While the remains of his wife were found in the sitting room, with the blinds drawn in the rooms involved.
However, detectives have ruled out a suicide pact and a murder-suicide after the post-mortem examination showed Mr Smith died from natural causes, according to the Independent .
The property was also fully secured when gardaí called at 4pm last Monday, and there was no sign of forced entry or any indication of disturbance.
Gardai are now combing the house for further evidence, analysing food items found in the home to determine a timeline of the deaths. Officers are believed to have found a milk carton in the fridge dated in 2020.
Locals had known the couple were due to travel to France at that time and that someone had been asked to cut their grass while they were away. Several upset locals in the tight-knit community of Cloneen have spoken of their shock as they try to come to terms with the double tragedy.
"It's such a shock for everyone. It seems their bodies were there for a long time," one said. "They told people they were emigrating to France or somewhere in late 2020, so people were under the assumption they had moved away," a shocked local told this paper.
"It's just shocking. It's awfully sad, and everyone is in disbelief, floored and shell-shocked. It's very tragic," another upset local said.
Another said: "It's wicked shocking. Something like this has never happened around here before. I just can't understand it. Everyone is in shock."
Local councillor and publican of The Thatch pub in the village, Mark Fitzgerald, said he too had been left shocked over the couple's deaths.
With a population of only 60 residents in the small, rural agricultural village and 600 residents in the hinterland, the couple "kept to themselves," according to Cllr Fitzgerald.
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