Kyran Durnin, an eight-year-old boy from Co Louth, is missing and a murder investigation is under way. Here is what we know so far.
May/June 2022
The last positive sighting of Kyran Durnin was at the end of the school year in 2022, when he was aged six. Last week, it emerged the boy had been taken out of school at that time, with officials assuming he had moved to a school in Northern Ireland. This meant the boy’s long-term absence from school went unnoticed by Irish officials.
August 2024
Kyran was officially reported missing along with his mother Dayla Durnin (24). Ms Durnin was later located safe in the UK but there was no sign of Kyran.
Gardaí now suspect Kyran was not with his mother when she went missing. They received information from someone known to the child indicating he was already dead, prompting officers to formally begin a murder investigation.
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September 2024
A public appeal is issued for information on the disappearance of the young boy and a murder investigation is confirmed. As of now, gardaí do not know where Kyran’s remains may be located or how he died. Despite opening a murder investigation, gardaí have not ruled out the possibility his death was accidental.
October 2024
Gardaí carry out a thorough search of the Durnin family home on Emer Terrace in Dundalk, where they lived until May of this year. The back garden of the property is excavated, using diggers, in what is a search for evidence and human remains.
Following this, gardaí expand their search of the child’s former home to nearby wasteland. The Garda search team move diggers into a green area at the back of the terrace, where excavations were due to continue on Thursday.
What were Tusla’s dealings with the family before this?
Though Tusla had dealings with the family in previous years, Kyran was not in State care and sources said it was not suspected he was being abused.
A family member of Kyran Durnin reported him and his mother missing in August, just 24 hours after Tusla went to An Garda Síochána and officially flagged its concerns for the boy’s welfare. The Irish Times understands the family member was aware Tusla was about to bring its concerns to the Garda and was advised to make a missing persons report to the force, outlining their concerns that Kyran and his mother, Dayla (24), had gone missing.
[ Family member reported Kyran Durnin missing 24 hours after Tusla alertOpens in new window ]
Tusla has said it alerted the Garda “to a significant concern” about Kyran in August.
It was claimed in the missing persons report that the mother and son were last seen at their home in Drogheda, Co Louth, at around 11pm on August 28th. Their absence, the report claimed, was not discovered until the following morning.
That means the missing persons report claims the mother and son left Drogheda a matter of hours before the family learned Tusla was about to flag its concerns to the Garda about Kyran’s welfare.
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