Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I will also raise the issue of the untimely death of Margaret Bracken, who was found naked in her home in Dundalk on 16 December 2019. The family has been campaigning for justice since her body was discovered in the hallway of her home. The crucial issue here is that the scene was not sealed off at the time and that two gardaí made a decision quite quickly that she had died from natural causes. All of the evidence was contaminated thereafter. Deputy Paul Murphy has raised the issues of the CCTV camera, the 999 call, the missing handbag and the money taken from the house. It is the events that took place subsequently that need to be inquired into. I sent a letter and put a question to the Minister for Justice in 2022 and she replied that, as Minister, she had no statutory role in intervening. I was calling for an independent inquiry into the circumstances of the death and the investigation to date, which might make further recommendations. This could have been carried out by someone at chief superintendent rank from another division. The Minister could equally appoint a senior lawyer or recently retired judge to review the evidence. There is no death certificate. There has been no coroner's inquiry and no court case. Will the Taoiseach look into this matter?

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