The search for eight-year-old Kyran Durnin has been extended from his former family home in County Louth to wasteland behind the property. The little boy, who disappeared at the end of August, is now “presumed dead,” so gardaí- Irish police have launched a murder investigation.

Kyran lived in Emer Terrace, Dundalk, until May 2024. Forensic searches commenced on Tuesday, concentrating on the terraced house some 20 miles north of Drogheda-where he and his mother were last spotted on August 30.

Family Developments

Since then, police established her address and Kyran’s 24-year-old mother Dayla Durnin is no longer classified as a missing person. The current residents in the Emer Terrace house are not believed to have any connection to Kyran’s disappearance, gardaí said.

Sources reveal that although the missing person investigation duration has been short, the detectives believe Kyran might have been dead since more than two years back. Known to have attended St Nicholas Monastery national school until summer 2022, the school has remained tight-lipped amid the ongoing investigations.

Child Protection Issues

The Durnin family’s past dealings with Irish child protection services are now under an independent national review. Tusla, the state agency responsible for child welfare, will also carry out an internal review of its previous dealings with Kyran’s family.

This case shocked Tanya Ward to her core. She is the chief executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance in Ireland, and she expresses astonishment at how a child would be missing for two years without this being reported to the authorities. She held the view that child protection laws are fundamental in Ireland and that the community plays a big role in the protection of children in all its actions.

Possible Relocation to Northern Ireland

The reports are stating that even the Durnin family had considered emigration to Northern Ireland, which explains why no attention was paid when Kyran failed to appear at school; however, so far, the gardaí have ruled out any parallel investigations into the case of disappearance in Northern Ireland.

Community Response

Candlelit vigils were held over the weekend in Dundalk and Drogheda in the wake of confirmation that a murder investigation had opened into Kyran’s disappearance. Dundalk vigil organiser Brittany McEnteggart said, “I had thought that the disappearance of Kyran had been taken seriously enough; however, on reflection, things were not done or said that would have reacted differently to the situation that unfolded, or at least drawn attention to child welfare in the community.”.

Those in the community will continue to hold on to hope in this tragic case, awaiting answers that may eventually put to rest their disbelief concerning the disappearance of Kyran.

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