Investigators find 109 bodies buried in coffins at Irish mother and baby home

Investigators at the former St. Mary’s Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Ireland, reported that all 109 sets of remains recovered during the ongoing excavation show evidence of being buried in coffins. A technical update issued Oct. 2 contradicts previous claims that the remains of children at the site had been dumped.

The excavation, which began in July 2025, is taking place at a site believed to be the final resting place for nearly 800 infants. The Bon Secour Sisters operated the home in County Galway on behalf of the Irish government from 1925 until 1961.

The site became a subject of international controversy in 2014 after historian Catherine Corless identified death certificates for 796 children that lacked corresponding burial records. A 2017 investigation found human remains in underground chambers within an unused sewage system, leading to media reports accusing the sisters of dumping remains in a septic tank. Corless previously stated she never used that term.