Justice Minister Helen McEntee has declared that individuals will be held responsible in relation to the case of the mysteriously vanished young lad, Kyran Durnin. The Gardaí suspect that the eight-year-old lad hailing from Drogheda, Co Louth, may have been murdered as early as two years back, given that he hasn’t been spotted after being taken away from his primary school in 2022.
Although Tusla had previously interacted with the boy’s family, there was no evidence to suggest that he had been subject to abuse. When Kyran was officially reported as missing from his residence at the end of August, the Gardaí initiated a probe. However, the investigation into the missing boy and his 24-year-old mother, Dayla Durnin was discontinued last week upon tracing his mother and failing to unearth any signs that the boy was alive.
Ms McEntee emphasised the need for answers to understand the events that transpired during the two years that Kyran was missing. “We need to establish whether there were instances of negligence. Could something have been done differently? Considering there’s an ongoing murder investigation, how did we get here? What became of Kyran Durnin? How can we locate him? If there are systemic issues at play here, how do we identify and rectify them?”
She also urged anyone with potential information to make themselves known, assuring that “even a seemingly minor detail could make a significant difference.” “If we need to instigate changes in any of our state structures as a consequence of this, we must certainly do so,” she stated to RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.