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Limerick Leader
Gardai outside the apartment complex at Steamboat Quay where the bodies of Peter and Kevin Moran were discovered in May
by David Hurley
Published Nov 14, 2012 17:12
AN inquest into the deaths of twin brothers at an apartment in Limerick city earlier this year was told they had consumed a “lethal cocktail of drugs”.
State Pathologist, Prof Marie Cassidy told the Coroner’s Court, that Peter and Kevin Moran, had died at least 48 hours before their bodies were discovered by their mother, Margaret, who had become concerned for their safety.
The alarm was raised shortly after 3.30pm on May 9, last after Mrs Moran called to the apartment at Steamboat Quay where the 28-year-old twins had been living.
In a statement to gardai she described how her sons were lying next to each other on the ground in the sitting room of the apartment.
She said their bodies were “stone cold” and that she knew from the colour of their hands they had been dead for a number of days.
In her evidence, Prof Cassidy said there were no indications that either of the twins has sustained physical trauma.
She said post mortem results showed evidence of pneumonia in each of the twins and that toxicology reports showed they had consumed the same cocktail of drugs, which would have sent them into a state of unconsciousness before they died.
She said heroin, ecstasy, codeine, tranquillisers and anti-depressants were all found in their system.
Undigested tablets were found in Peter’s stomach and there was evidence that Kevin had smoked cannabis.
Prof Cassidy said one of the drugs consumed by the twins – Duloxitine – is “nasty” when taken with other drugs.
Returning a verdict of misadventure, coroner John McNamara described the case a double tragedy for Mrs Moran and her family.
He said the medical evidence clearly indicated the cause of death was drug-related and he noted that gardai had also ruled out foul play.
Mr McNamara said the twins were good young men who unfortunately on this occasion had consumed a cocktail of drugs.