Farrell family welcomes Garda cold case review of investigation into father’s suspicious death

The family of elderly Roosky farmer Liam Farrell, who was found dead in suspicious circumstances at his home five years ago, have welcomed the Garda Commissioner’s decision to order a cold case review of the investigation into his death.

The 87-year-old widower was found dead at his back door in January 2020. He had extensive bruising and was covered in blood. Liam Farrell’s family believe he was the subject of an assault before he suffered a heart attack.   

In a letter to the family, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said he has requested the Serious Crime Review team to conduct a review of the investigation into their father's death.

It’s understood that a Detective Superintendent responsible for the Serious Crime Review team will be in contact with the family in the coming weeks to discuss the review.

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan deemed Liam Farrell's death as "suspicious" when he recently met members of his family in the Department of Justice. The meeting lasted more than one and a half hours.

Speaking to the Herald today, one of Mr Farrell’s sons, Willie described the development as “a substantial breakthrough”.

“We’ve lobbied this for a long time. We welcome this decision from Commissioner Kelly to refer this to a cold case review team.

“We thank the Commissioner for taking the interest in the case. We would also like to thank the Minister for Justice for the meeting we had with him, which we found to be highly productive.

“We look forward to moving ahead. We’re a family simply looking for the truth of what happened that night to our father. Justice will come when we find the truth,” he said.