Mother-of-two Claire Collins was smothered to death with a pillow by a third party, an inquest heard on Wednesday.
The jury returned an open verdict into the death of Ms Collins, 50, and a verdict of suicide into the death of her husband Joe Collins, 54, at their home at Crossard, Kilnaboy, Co. Clare, on November 9, 2023.
The jury at the Clare Coroner's Court in Kilrush returned the verdicts following a recommendation from coroner Isobel O'Dea that they were the appropriate verdicts to make.
On the open verdict for Ms Collins, Ms O'Dea said that there will be no criminal trial into her death but there was no evidence that her death was self-inflicted or accidental. She said that in an open verdict it simply means that the evidence doesn't fully disclose the means by which the cause of death occurred, or doesn't meet the required standard of proof for another verdict.
At the inquest, assistant State pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said that Ms Collins's cause of death was asphyxia due to smothering. Presenting her post-mortem findings, Dr Bolster stated that 'the findings are consistent with pressure by a pillow over a face put in place by a third party'. She also said that there was bruising on Ms Collins's right wrist joint and back of her right hand indicating defensive type injuries.
She said that there was no evidence of bruising to the neck and no evidence of strangulation. Dr Bolster continued: 'I will add when the brain is deprived of oxygen the person becomes unconscious very, very rapidly and they are not suffering.' She said that the cause of death for Joe Collins was also asphyxia caused by a ligature around the neck.
The brother of Joe Collins, Brian Collins, discovered the bodies of the married couple at their home on November 9, 2023.
In a deposition read out at yesterday's inquest, Brian Collins said that he found his brother's body suspended from a basketball post at the back of the house, and that he discovered Ms Collins's fully clothed body in an upstairs bedroom.
Brian Collins said that a note was on the stairs inside the front door saying 'upstairs and out the back'. He said he went upstairs to see Ms Collins's body laid out on top of a bed and she was blue across the nose and mouth. He raised the alarm and another brother, Pat, came to the house with him and said the 'Act of Contrition' over Joe Collins's body on the ground at the base of the basketball hoop.
Brian Collins had earlier taken Joe Collins's body down after cutting the blue nylon ligature with a Stanley knife.
Caitriona Murphy, a work colleague of Ms Collins at the Burren Centre in Kilfenora, gave evidence of speaking to Ms Collins by phone twice, at 6.52pm and 8.40pm, on the evening of November 8, 2023, on work-related matters. In her deposition to gardaà read out by Inspector Ronan McMahon, Ms Murphy had said Ms Collins sounded fine.
However, at the inquest yesterday, Ms Murphy said: 'There was a discernible difference in tone and demeanour between the two phone calls. I asked her if she was okay and she said that she was.'
The inquest heard how an anonymous male caller rang the National Ambulance Service (NAS) at 3.09am on the morning of November 9 to say there was 'a tragedy' at the home of Joe and Claire Collins. Brian Sammon, call-taker at the NAS, said that the male caller 'refused to expand'. Mr Sammon said that the caller said that it was the home of Claire and Joe Collins in a townland near Corofin.
Mr Sammon said: 'He provided a townland and I can't remember what it wasÂ….I eventually got as good (a) location as I could.'
Mr Sammon said that the caller provided his wife's phone number 'after some hesitation', adding that 'the caller got a bit frustrated and hung up'.
Mr Sammon said that he rang the number provided by the unidentified caller and it rang out and went to voicemail.
He said he left two voicemails telling the man to call back if he required an ambulance. However, emergency services would not arrive at the scene for almost 12 more hours after Brian Collins had discovered the bodies of Joe and Claire Collins. Ms O'Dea told the inquest that following the deaths of the couple, the NAS has made recommendations as to how it should improve its service around the taking of calls.
At the conclusion of the inquest, Ms O'Dea extended her sympathies to the families of Claire and Joe Collins, including their daughters Tara and Sara, stating that 'no words can describe how awful it must be for all of you'. She added: 'Hopefully today will give you a little bit of closure.'
Ms O'Dea also read out a statement on behalf of behalf of the Meere and Collins families.
The families stated 'while we take in the findings of the inquest we are still processing the grief and loss we feel every day for both Claire and Joe'.
The statement added that 'this is a deeply personal, painful matter for both the Meere and Collins families'.
They also asked for privacy as they continue to mourn 'the loss of two irreplaceable people who we love so very much'.
