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Body Identified After 10 Years
Now known to be John Roche, originally from Killiney in Ireland, the man’s body has been exhumed from Lonan Cemetery
The body of a man who has lay buried in an Isle of Man cemetery for 10 years has been taken home for burial.
Now known to be John Roche, originally from Killiney in Ireland, the man’s body has been exhumed from Lonan Cemetery.
Mr Roche died some time between December 19 2012 and April 12 2013, when his body was found by fisherman off the coast of Ramsey.
A year later, still unidentified, his body was buried in Lonan Churchyard, with a headstone provided by a local charity.
At his funeral, over 20 strangers gathered to ensure the then unidentified man wasn’t buried alone.
It has subsequently proved possible to match genetic material held in relation to the body with that of other members of Mr Roche’s family, bringing to an end a 10 year search for the truth of what happened to him.
Following his exhumation, his family held a funeral on Monday December 18 in Arklow, County Wicklow.
A petition for the removal of Mr Roche’s body was made to the Consistory Court of the Diocese of Sodor and Man.
John Roche (from RIP.ie)
Vicar General Howard Connell said: ‘Given the fact that all his family are resident in either County Wicklow or County Waterford, Ms Doyle wishes to have his remains returned to Wicklow where he lived with her and their son and for those remains to be reinterred in consecrated ground in St Gabriel’s Catholic cemetery in Arklow, County Wicklow.’
It added: ‘The late Mr Roche was not buried in Lonan because of any wish of his, nor indeed because any member of his family wished it. He was buried there as an act of kindness and respect on the part of the Manx community: the funeral in 2014 was attended, following an appeal on local media, by members of that community who did not know who he was, as a matter of respect, and the service was conducted by a local Methodist minister as an act of generosity.
‘This is clearly a case where the discretion to authorise exhumation should be exercised. I accordingly grant a faculty authorising the exhumation of the remains of the late Mr Roche, with a view to their reburial in Co. Wicklow.’
While an inquest was held at the time of the man’s body being discovered, now Mr Roche has been identified a new inquest will need to be held. This will be opened by the Coroner of Inquests James Brooks on Thursday January 11.
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