TV & Radio

Like CSI: Galway, only with a real-life calamity breaking a family’s hearts

Review: The Case I Can’t Forget is a fascinating look at the day-to-day grind of policing

Barna Man: The facial reconstruction of the man whose body was found in Rusheen Woods, in Co Galway, on September 27th, 2014

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Ed Power
Wed Dec 9 2020 - 22:35

The mystery surrounding the discovery of a body in woods in Co Galway is spun into a satisfying hour of true detective work in the second episode of The Case I Can’t Forget (RTÉ One, Wednesday, 9.35pm).

“Barna Man” was found in Rusheen Woods in Connemara on September 27th, 2014; it was soon established to be a case of suicide – and with no foul play, a criminal inquiry was not necessary. But the officers investigating the case are determined to identify the deceased, so that his family can be informed.

The step-by-step process by which they go about piecing together the daunting puzzle makes for fascinating viewing. It’s like CSI: Galway, with the caveat that this was a real-life calamity leaving behind a heartbroken family.

“He was somebody’s son; he could be a father, he could be a brother,” says Insp Paudie O’Shea, one of the first to the scene. “When you don’t have a family, you know, pushing, we have to step into that breach as members of An Garda Síochána, on behalf of the coroner, and see can we reach out to the family and bring these types of investigations as far as we can.”

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Finally, a breakthrough. Among the belongings left behind by Teodor Bruzgo is his passport. The image bears a more than passing resemblance to Barna Man. And then a DNA test confirms his identity

There isn’t much to go on, but the gardaí do their best with the clues left behind. An unsigned note is seen as evidence the man did not want to be identified. Footwear and a watch discovered with the body indicate time spent in the United States. (The sports shoe is a brand not sold in Ireland.) But without any suspicion of murder, US authorities are not in a hurry to help.

“Once this person wasn’t the victim of a crime, they were really puzzled as to why we were still pursuing it and still trying to establish this person’s identity. That’s not something they would do,” says Det Sgt Colm MacDonnachadha.

With the national DNA database drawing a blank, a facial reconstruction is carried out at Dundee University, in Scotland. These images of Barna Man are then widely circulated around Galway.

But five years elapses before a Polish worker tells his manager about a man who rented a room in Co Galway in 2014 only to vanish. Aware that the Garda is seeking information, the boss approaches the authorities.

Finally, a breakthrough. Among the belongings left behind by Teodor Bruzgo is his passport. The image bears a more than passing resemblance to Barna Man. And then a DNA test confirms his identity.

Gardaí at Salthill, in Galway, regard this as an obligation met. Unlike many police forces, the Garda’s responsibilities aren’t confined to crimes. “In Ireland we have a dual role: even with deaths which are not suspicious we assist the coroner – how and when did they die?” says MacDonnachadha.

A tangled tale that ends with the identification of someone who has died by suicide scarcely counts as a happy ending. This is nonetheless a fascinating look at the day-to-day grind of policing in Ireland. The story is suffused in tragedy. Yet The Case I Can’t Forget is memorable viewing.