Irish couple found dead after leaving note and recording; coroner records suicides

A county coroner has recorded verdicts of suicide for an elderly Irish couple found dead in their Kenmare bungalow after leaving an eight‑word note on the front door and a taped message for police.

Tony and Phyllis Gilbert, both 83, were discovered by a daughter‑in‑law shortly after 10 a.m. on Nov. 14, 2021, at their home in Dromneavane, Kenmare, County Kerry. The note pinned to the door read, "All going to plan we should be dead," and directed whoever found it to call gardaí and to a key left in a flower pot to allow entry.

Gardaí who entered the bungalow found the couple dead in a bedroom, in separate beds, with no signs of external injury or trauma and rigor mortis already present, a witness said at the inquest in Tralee District Court. Officers also found a tape recorder with a note instructing them to listen. The recorder contained two messages in the couple's voices in which Tony Gilbert said they had been "together in life" and planned to be "together in sleep."

Chief State Pathologist Dr. Linda Mulligan carried out postmortems at University Hospital Kerry in Tralee and told relatives that toxicology confirmed the pair had ingested a poisonous substance that led to their deaths. She said death would have occurred fairly quickly for both and that Mrs. Gilbert was suffering from stage four pancreatic cancer that had metastasised throughout her body when she died.

The couple had moved from the United Kingdom to County Kerry in the 1990s and ran a glass engraving business on Henry Street in Kenmare, the inquest heard. Relatives described Tony Gilbert as "very talented and artistic" and said the couple had become "quite reclusive" and were keeping their distance from society because of the Covid‑19 pandemic.

Vincent Coakley, a solicitor who gave evidence, said Mr. Gilbert phoned his office in October 2021 to enquire about wills for himself and his wife. The couple told him they were anxious to prepare wills because of concerns about their health and the risks posed by Covid‑19. Despite initial reluctance to visit in person, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert attended Coakley’s office on Nov. 10, 2021, and signed wills that were witnessed by three people. Mr. Coakley told the court there had been no suggestion of duress and that both had the mental capacity to execute the documents.

Garda James Hendricks, who responded to the call, said a patrol car arrived at the scene at about 10:20 a.m. on Nov. 14. He told the inquest that a note at the door stated that if "all had gone according to plan," both parties would be dead inside the property. He confirmed the taped message was found in the bedroom and that a further note directed officers to the recordings.

Coroner Aisling Quilter said it was clear the couple had made plans before their deaths and returned verdicts of suicide in both cases, offering her "heartfelt condolences" to the family. Garda Sergeant Aoife Dolan also offered condolences on behalf of the gardaí and said it was hard for the family to lose both Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert at the same time.

A granddaughter, Felicity Gilbert, told the court the couple were "as close as you can be companionship‑wise." The family has described the deaths as traumatic. A private cremation was later held at the Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy, County Cork.

The inquest assembled accounts from family, police and medical examiners to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Toxicology and the postmortem findings were central to the coroner's conclusion that the deaths were self‑inflicted. No evidence of third‑party involvement or external injury was reported in court records.