Coroner records suicides of elderly Irish couple found with note and audio recordings

Tony and Phyllis Gilbert, both 83, were found dead in their bungalow in Kenmare, County Kerry, on Nov. 14, 2021, after leaving an eight-word note on their front door and audio recordings for police, an inquest heard on Tuesday.

Their daughter-in-law, Beryl Gilbert, told Tralee District Court she intended to leave groceries at the couple's door that morning because of Covid-19 restrictions but discovered a note pinned to the entrance that read: "All going to plan we should be dead." The note asked whoever found it to call gardaí and indicated there was a key in a flower pot so officers could gain entry.

Garda evidence presented at the inquest said a patrol car was called to the scene at about 10:20 a.m. Officers entered the bungalow and found the couple dead in a bedroom. There was no sign of injury or external trauma on either person, and rigor mortis had set in. The bodies were discovered in separate beds.

A tape recorder found in the house contained two recordings of the couple's voices and a note directed gardaí to listen to them. In one recording, Tony Gilbert said the couple had been "together in life" and planned to be "together in sleep," the court heard.

Chief State Pathologist Dr. Linda Mulligan carried out postmortems at University Hospital Kerry in Tralee. She said Tony and Phyllis Gilbert had ingested a poisonous substance that led to their deaths, and toxicology results confirmed poisoning. Dr. Mulligan told relatives that death would have occurred fairly quickly for both. She also reported that Phyllis Gilbert had stage-four pancreatic cancer that had metastasised.

Coroner Aisling Quilter said it was clear the married couple had made plans prior to their deaths and returned a verdict of suicide in both cases. She expressed her condolences to the family and described the matter as "traumatic."

Family and acquaintances gave evidence about the couple's recent circumstances. Felicity Gilbert, a granddaughter, described them as "as close as you can be companionship-wise" and said they had become "quite reclusive," keeping their distance from others because of Covid-19. Locals told the court Tony Gilbert had been "very talented and artistic," and the couple had previously run a successful glass engraving business on Henry Street in Kenmare after moving from the United Kingdom in the 1990s.

Solicitor Vincent Coakley told the court Mr. Gilbert contacted his office by phone in October 2021 to inquire about preparing wills for himself and his wife. The couple were initially reluctant to attend the office because of concerns about Covid-19 and Phyllis Gilbert's vulnerabilities, Mr. Coakley said. They did attend and sign their wills on the afternoon of Nov. 10, 2021; the solicitor said Mrs. Gilbert was "very infirm" but that both had the mental capacity to sign the documents and that there was no duress. The signing was witnessed by three people.

Garda Sergeant Aoife Dolan offered condolences to the family on behalf of the Gardaí, saying it was "very hard" for relatives to lose both Phyllis and Tony at the same time. A private cremation was later held at the Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy, County Cork.

The inquest assembled medical, forensic and witness evidence to establish the circumstances of the couple's deaths and concluded with the coroner's verdict of suicide for both individuals. No criminality was indicated in the findings presented at the hearing.