FBI-wanted American man found dead in Kerry after being identified through DNA testing

Thomas Stofiel lived at Atlas House in Tralee and was last seen on September 25th, 2020.

His body was found by farmer Joe Fitzgerald in the Tonevane mountain region on November 14, 2020 while Mr Fitzgerald was out looking for sheep. He told the inquest that he saw the body and called emergency services.

Examination revealed that the body was across a ravine and in difficult terrain. At this point it was inaccessible and Kerry Mountain Rescue was asked to help. Cash of 1,220 euros and a welfare receipt were found on the body.

The American Embassy confirmed his identity using an ID card found on the body that matched a passport issued to him, but ultimately DNA confirmed the man was Mr. Stofiel, who was from Oregon, USA.

A DNA swab from his toothbrush and razor was used to confirm it was Mr Stofiel and that this DNA ultimately linked him to his biological daughter, the inquest said.

The deputy state pathologist Dr. Margot Bolster stated that on November 15, 2020 she carried out an autopsy on the man who was believed to be Mr Stofiel.

The body was in an advanced state of decomposition. Gardaí said there was no suspicion that anyone else was involved in the death and a suicide verdict was issued.

Coroner Helen Lucey said the “course of his life changed” and that it led him to this remote place. She expressed her condolences to his daughter and commended the honesty of everyone involved in recovering the body given the significant sum of money that was found.

She also credited the media for their role in identifying the remains. Mr. Stiofel was reportedly the subject of a manhunt by the FBI and Oregon police after his disappearance in 2017. Mr. Stiofel had extreme religious beliefs and was a person who believed that a cataclysmic event was imminent. Such a person is called a prepper. In Tralee he worked in a local restaurant and was buried in Rath.

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