In August of last year, Tusla, the agency for child and family services, raised a grave concern with the Garda about eight-year-old Kyran Durnin, who was then reported missing and is now feared to be dead. The boy and his mother were reported missing subsequently, however, the case of Kyran’s disappearance has escalated to a murder probe. His mother has since been found in the UK.
Tusla has initiated an internal audit to review its interactions and communications with Kyran and his family. Although Tusla had engaged with the family, Kyran was not under State protection, and it was not believed he was a victim of abuse.
A property previously owned by the Durnin family in Emer Terrace, Dundalk, Co Louth has been under investigation since Monday and the investigation is expected to last for several days. The garden behind the house is being unearthed as part of the search for Kyran’s body. The Durnin family moved out of the property last May and it has since undergone renovation and extensive cleaning for future tenants. These modifications might hinder the search for forensic proof within the house. The Garda have stressed that Kyran and the Durnin family have no ties with the current occupants of the house.
The Garda are exploring the possibility of a violent end to Kyran’s life. However, it hasn’t been completely ruled out that he may have met his end in a different way, and then efforts were made to hide his murder and his body. Kyran was last seen attending his local school in Dundalk, through to the end of the academic year in mid-2022. Despite him and his mother being reported missing at the end of August, the investigation by Garda has not yet found proof that he was alive at that time. It is suspected that he might have died in 2022, at the age of six.
Roderic O’Gorman, the Minister for Children, has unexpectedly asked Tusla to hand over its files on Kyran to a specialist panel that investigates any child deaths linked to State care. Typically, such a review is only conducted after a Garda inquiry has been concluded.
The National Review Panel, an independent body responsible for examining serious incidents involving children in care or known to Tusla, has been notified by Tusla.