Authorities in charge of the case of the suspected murder of Co Louth lad Kyran Durnin are busy attending to a substantial number of calls received from the public. Some among these calls include alleged sightings of the disappeared boy, which detectives are hoping might help them confirm the last time he was seen alive, believed to be over two years ago.
Following a comprehensive search at the former Durnin family property in Dundalk which ended last Thursday evening without significant finds, it is anticipated that a new search would be initiated at another family-related property in Drogheda. Inspite of ongoing investigations, there haven’t been any imminent arrests. Inside sources have inferred that it would be a tactical misstep to make any arrests now, suggesting that arrests should only be made when the evidence collected justifies such an action.
A reliable informant mentioned, “Arresting someone right now would complicate any future arrests during this investigation. For any subsequent arrests, we would need fresh evidence and new grounds.”
Police Commissioner Drew Harris expressed his bewilderment at the fact that the boy may have gone missing, and possibly murdered, for two years without the incident being noticed. He termed it as an ‘unheard-of incident’, something he had never encountered in his extensive career spanning more than four decades. Harris lamented, “The case is unique and thus, hard to fathom.”
In the ongoing investigation, the team has been striving to find any proof of life since the last time Kyran was seen, aged six in 2022. Harris then followed up with, “Consequently, I cannot conclusively say if Kyran made it to his seventh or eighth birthday.”
Caoilfhionn Gallagher, the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, stated that Kyran’s situation epitomises the serious shortcomings of the child protection mechanism in the State despite politically pleasing proclamations about striving to render Ireland as one of the best places, either worldwide or across Europe, for children to live in.
Concerns about Kyran’s wellbeing were forwarded to the Garda by Tusla, the child and family agency, last August 29. Subsequently, a family member filed a report about the boy and his 24-year-old mother, Dayla, stating they’d disappeared.
The report indicated that it wasn’t until the morning of August 29 that their absence from their residence in Drogheda was distinguished. Consequently, a missing person’s operation was established, requesting public assistance.
However, immediate subsequent probes haven’t generated any proof that Kyran was alive after his last sighting towards the end of the 2022 academic year at his Dundalk national school.
The Garda recently discontinued their appeal for the missing boy, affirming that Ms. Durnin was found in the UK, and have presumed Kyran was murdered, escalating the search to a homicide investigation.
Police also mentioned that despite considering Kyran’s assumed death as a part of a murder investigation, they haven’t excluded the likelihood that his demise occurred differently and was intentionally hidden.