Irish police have confirmed that a 72-year-old army hero was "ferociously beaten to death" on Monday. A police spokesperson said that bachelor James Boyce, a veteran of the Congo, was beaten, dragged upstairs and locked in the bedroom of his Limerick home where he was left to die.

Local councilor John Gilligan said that Boyce’s body was found by Meals-on-Wheels staff when he failed to answer the door. He told the Irish Examiner, "They discovered him in an upstairs bedroom. There was blood in the hallway and he appeared to have been locked into the bedroom."

Inspector O'Reilly said, "We are anxious to speak to anybody who may have seen Mr. Boyce between 10 a.m. on Saturday and 6:45 p.m. Monday. He often stood at the front door."

Boyce's neighbor Christy McNamara said he spoke to Boyce on Saturday.  "He was a very quiet man who didn’t bother anybody,” he said.

Boyce served in the Irish Army and was decorated for his UN service in the Congo. He had survived an attack on a platoon of Irish soldiers from the Baluba tribe. They were responsible for the Niemba ambush of 1960 where nine Irish soldiers died.

Upon leaving the army he went to England, he then returned to Ireland to look after his sick brother, Joseph.

Inspector O'Reilly said that Boyce's home is being preserved as a crime scene. The police are asking any witnesses or anyone who may have seen anything to come forward.