Man who died in Edenderry fire was brother of woman killed in earlier arson attack
The man found dead following a fire in Offaly overnight was the brother of a woman who died alongside her grandnephew in an arson attack at the same house last December.
The man, named locally as Christy Holt, according to the Irish Examiner, was found dead at a house in Castleview Park, Edenderry, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
His sister, Mary, and her grandnephew, four-year-old Tadhg Farrell, died on December 6th following an arson attack on the same house.
Another sister of Holt sustained serious burn injuries in the attack and required lengthy hospital treatment.
The house had been boarded up after the December tragedy, but it is understood by the paper that relatives recently returned to the property, despite it remaining badly damaged.
Holt’s body was discovered when emergency services responded to a fire at the house.
An autopsy is expected to take place on Wednesday to help determine the course of the investigation as gardaí seek to establish the cause of death.
Investigators have sealed off the scene for a technical examination. A Garda statement said this would assist in determining the course of any investigation.
On Tuesday afternoon, gardaí were carrying out door-to-door inquiries and fingertip searches in the vicinity of the house. Investigators accessed the top floor of the house through the upstairs windows using a ladder.
A man in his late 20s who had been detained on suspicion of murder was released without charge in January.
Gardaí in Tullamore have appealed for anyone with any information on this house fire to contact An Garda Síochána.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Tullamore Garda Station on 057 932 7600, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
Additional reporting by PA
