Matthew (6) ‘may have died by suffocation’ – gardaí investigate death of child found in car at Dunmore East

Today at 00:32

Gardaí investigating the death of six-year-old Matthew Purcell-Healy in Co Waterford have said they are satisfied he did not drown.

Following the inconclusive results of a preliminary post-mortem examination, they are now trying to determine if he died by suffocation in the car in which he was found unresponsive at Rathmoylan Cove, close to Dunmore East.

A 38-year-old woman arrested at the scene is not expected to be medically fit for questioning until tomorrow at the earliest.

The woman, who was known to the child, was detained shortly after he was found just after midnight on Thursday. She was taken into custody under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

However, on being medically assessed, she was deemed in need of medical and psychiatric support and taken to hospital, where she remained last night.

A source said: “She has 24 hours to be questioned, but the clock has not started yet because she was not well enough to be spoken to on being arrested. It is a very tragic case.”

She is believed to be from the south-east and from a family well known and respected in business circles.

Yesterday, hundreds of people attended a special vigil in Waterford city centre to express their sorrow and support for Matthew’s family.

Body of boy (6) discovered in car in Co Waterford

The little boy lived in Ballygunner, attended school nearby at Faithlegg National School and played soccer with Park Rangers AFC, where he was a member of the club’s under-7s squad.

A spokesperson for the club said he enjoyed his time with his teammates and coaches.

“It is with great sadness that we learned about the tragic passing of one of our players this week,” the club said in a statement.

“Matthew was a member of our under-7s. He will be sadly missed by teammates and coaches. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this unimaginably difficult time.”

Matthew was found in the car following a frantic search by gardaí after an alert from residents at Rathmoylan Cove that a woman was in a distressed condition and screaming that something had happened to a child.

Local people said she was dressed in pyjamas and was knocking on doors and windows.

Gardaí rushed to the scene and, after a search of the local area, Matthew was found in the vehicle.

The woman was arrested and given emergency medical treatment at the scene.

The child was rushed to University Hospital Waterford (UHW) where, despite the efforts of doctors to stabilise him, he was pronounced dead shortly after 2am.

Gardaí sealed off the scene to allow for a full forensic and technical examination of the area and the vehicle.

A major search was also launched of the access laneway and nearby fields.

Gardaí said the child’s death is being treated as suspicious, given the circumstances.