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The search continues at the former home of the missing child.

Posted on by L. Dreeye
The search continues at the former home of the missing child.

Family handout Kiran smiles at the camera. He is wearing a blue Spider-Man sweatshirt and sitting on a brown leather couch. He has short brown hair.Family handout

Kieran Durnin went missing in August

Gardaí investigating the alleged murder of an eight-year-old boy are expected to resume a forensic search at his former family home in County Louth.

Kieran Durnin went missing in Drogheda at the end of August, but Last week gardaí said he was now “presumed dead” and launched a murder investigation..

The terraced property, which was searched in Dundalk – about 20 miles north of Drogheda – was his family home for several years until May 2024.

A search of the rental property in Emer Terrace, Dundalk, began on Tuesday.

Niall Carson/PA Wire A Garda Forensic Officer walks towards a cell on Emer Terrace, a street of red brick terraced houses and many parked cars. The officer is wearing a white protective suit, a blue mask and gloves, and has a black case with him. Niall Carson/PA Wire

Forensic tests are being carried out in Emer Terrace, Dundalk, where Kieran’s family lived until May this year.

Technical and forensic examinations are being carried out in the house, the garden and the adjacent open area behind the terrace are being searched.

On Tuesday, gardaí stressed that “the current occupants of this house have no connection with Kyran or his disappearance.”

Although the missing person investigation began less than two months ago, Irish broadcaster RTÉ previously reported that detectives believe Kieran may have been killed more than two years ago..

“How could a child disappear from his family and his community for two years without anyone reporting it to the authorities?” asked Tanya Ward, chief executive of the Alliance for Children’s Rights in the Republic of Ireland.

“This is really shocking, disturbing and confusing for those of us who work with children and young people because Ireland has really clear laws that put children first and protecting children is everyone’s business.”

Ms Ward told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster program it was “a case that, frankly, is keeping everyone awake that this could happen in Ireland in 2024.”

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris also expressed concern about the case, calling it “absolutely appalling.”

The family’s previous contacts with Irish child protection services are now the subject of an independent national review.

Tusla, the government agency responsible for the welfare and protection of children, also said it was conducting an internal review of its interactions with Kyran’s family.

Niall Carson/PA Wire A member of the police team involved in the search for Kieran Durnin. The man is wearing dark blue clothes, boots and a beanie hat. He walks down the alley towards a wall covered in ivy. In the foreground are a garden fork, a bag and bottles.Niall Carson/PA Wire

An open area in the Emer Terrace area is also being searched by police.

Proposed move to Northern Ireland?

“This is truly a heartbreaking case. This is also a very unusual case,” said Conor Lally, security and crime editor of The Irish Times.

He told Good Morning Ulster it was “concerning” that the last time Kieran attended school was more than two-and-a-half years ago.

“From conversations with police sources it appears that at that stage the family had floated the idea locally that they were looking to move to Northern Ireland.

“So the fact that Kieran had not returned to school for the next start of the school year would not have caused much concern because people believed the family was moving out of the area.”

BBC News NI asked Tusla whether its staff were convinced the family had moved to Northern Ireland, but the agency refused to answer the question.

Neither the police nor the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have confirmed whether any investigations were carried out in Northern Ireland into Kieran’s disappearance.

The PSNI referred all inquiries to the police as they are the body leading the investigation, but a police spokeswoman said it could not “comment on the specifics of any investigative actions”.

Niall Carson/PA Wire A female police officer leaves a house in Emer Terrace, Dundalk. She is wearing a full guard uniform and a hat, and has documents with her.Niall Carson/PA Wire

Gardaí stressed that the current occupants of the house were not involved in the matter.

Timeline of what has been confirmed so far

  • 2021 – 2022 – Kieran attended a national (primary) school near his home in Dundalk but did not return to school after the 2022 summer holidays.
  • May 2024 – Kieran’s family moved from their home in Emer Terrace, Dundalk, where they lived for several years.
  • Date unknown, August 2024 – Tulsa, the Irish government agency responsible for child protection, warned gardaí of “serious concerns about Kieran”.
  • August 28, 2024 – Approximate date the last sighting of a boy and his mother in Drogheda, according to a police missing person report.
  • August 30, 2024 – Kieran and his 24-year-old mother Dayla Durnin went missing from their home in Drogheda.
  • September 4, 2024 – Gardaí have issued a public missing persons appeal asking for help in finding Dayla and Kieran.
  • October 16, 2024 – Gardaí said they now believe “Kieran is missing and presumed dead” and confirmed they have launched a murder investigation.
  • October 21, 2024 – Acting on a search warrant, gardaí take possession of the former Durnin family home in Emer Terrace, Dundalk.
  • October 22, 2024 – A forensic examination of the house, garden and nearby open area has begun. Officers also located Kyran’s mother.