A forensic anthropologist has told the Patrick Quirke murder trial that he identified human and animal bones and an animal’s tooth found in the tank alongside Bobby Ryan’s body.
Mr Ryan went missing on June 3rd, 2011 after leaving his girlfriend Mary Lowry’s home at about 6.30am. He was presented with two cylinders containing the fragments. Inside the first there were 49 bones, a tooth and one toe or finger nail that possibly belonged to a human. Of the 49 bones only one was human. The tooth was non-human.
In his overview and summary he said the bones were most likely from a single adult of undetermined age, gender or height. He saw no evidence of physical trauma and on examining what tissue was present he found that the person had died at least a year before the remains were found in the tank and possibly more than two years before.