GARDAÍ have launched a murder investigation after the discovery of the charred remains of a man's body were found in Rahin Woods, Co. Kildare on Friday.
Philip Finnegan, a 24-year old man from Aikenhead House, Dublin, had been missing since Wednesday, August 10.
Detectives working on the assumption that Finnegan had been abducted by people known to him, believe he was murdered and dumped in the woods.
Searches of the area were under way when a local person out walking their dog in the woods near the Kildare/Meath border made the gruesome discovery at around 8:30pm on Friday night.
A post mortem has been carried out but the findings are yet to be disclosed.
It is known however that an “attempt” was made to set fire to the man’s remains in the shallow grave in Kildare.
Finnegan was well-known to police in the Dublin area for purported gangland activity and had previously been in court for firearms charges.
In December 2013, Finnegan was involved in a bloody brawl in a McDonald’s restaurant when two rival groups bumped into each other at the outlet on Grafton Street.
On the same day, a hatchet was thrown through a window at his home in Aikenhead House.
Also in 2013, Finnegan and an associate narrowly escaped being shot when a gunman opened fire on them in a drive-by shooting on Lower Basin Street.
In 2015, a blank-firing semi-automatic handgun was discovered after a raid of Finnegan’s home, but the Dubliner was eventually acquitted of firearms possession.
Gardaí believe Finnegan's death is linked to organised crime with one line of inquiry being that he was killed in a dispute over money.
A search for a murder weapon is currently underway.
