Inquiries into the suspected murder of 8-year-old Kyran Durnin have led Gardaí to widen their search from the child’s prior residence to an adjacent wasteland. Forensic and Scenes of Crime professionals from the Garda have been meticulously examining the old household on Emer Terrace, Dundalk, Co Louth, since Tuesday. This residence was home to the Durnin family until the previous May. Subsequent to their departure, it underwent revamping and intensive cleaning, making it ready for subsequent occupants, who are not connected to the ongoing investigation.
Gardaí have been employing a compact excavator to dig up the small backyard and patio area since yesterday, a task which has almost reached completion. However, the investigation of the house is set to continue for the remainder of this week. On Tuesday, it was observed that soil and other debris were being disposed of in a skip stationed outside the house.
A larger digger was delivered to the location on Wednesday, initiating the excavation process on a tract of wasteland adjacent to the house. Based on search outcomes, further excavation may be conducted at distinct locations, as indicated by sources. The focal point of this search are Kyran’s remains or any evidence related to the youngster.
Described as an “extremely severe, intricately complex, and tremendously challenging” case by Kate Duggan, the CEO of Tusla – the State child and family agency, the whereabouts and presumed death of the boy continue to baffle authorities. The Garda was alerted by Tusla last August about a “serious concern” regarding the child when he and his mother were reported missing.
The disappearance of Kyran has now been escalated to a murder inquiry with his mother currently located in the UK. Expected to extend over the next few days, the examination of the old Durnin residence on Emer Terrace, Dundalk, Co Louth commenced on Monday.
A comprehensive internal analysis has been initiated to examine our past interactions and association with Kyran and his family,” said the statement. Despite having some contact with the family, Kyran was not under State care and there were no indications of abuse.
Ms Duggan, speaking at Ireland’s Health Management Institute (HMI) conference on Wednesday, accepted the extensive media coverage surrounding the case. “This is a case that has gained massive attention, an extreme, multifaceted and hugely challenging case. The immediate priority of the three Ministers to whom Tusla is answerable, has been determining responsibility.”
She continued, “We’re on a mission to establish accountability. We’ll pinpoint that individual when our frontline social workers are presently trying to manage this case, support this family, and support each other. This puts us in a very difficult situation.”
Elsewhere, the case was brought up in the Dáil where Aontú leader, Peadar Tóibín, questioned how a vulnerable child could disappear for two years without notice.
He posed the question, “How flawed is the State care system that we are not discussing an intervention here but rather the potential murder of a child?”
Commenting on the situation he referred to as “dark and tragic”, he stated his dismay at the government’s expression of surprise at what had happened to Kyran. “The reality is that Kyran is merely one of 257 children recorded to have died while in State care over the past decade.”
Taoiseach Simon Harris responded to Tóibín’s comments by saying this isn’t a matter of politics. “This is a fundamental matter of humanity. A boy of just eight years old went missing for two years and the most agonising factor is that no one questioned why or where he’d gone, for that duration. It’s profoundly distressing to think such a scenario could happen to any child, and it’s vital that we establish a structure to fully unravel this. There can be no doubt about that.”