A “significant concern” was raised around missing eight-year-old Kyran Durnin in August, Ireland’s Child and Family Agency has said.
The former family home of the child in Dundalk, Co Louth was searched on Tuesday by detectives investigating his suspected murder.
The search continued across the day until around 6pm in the evening, and is expected to resume on Wednesday morning.
The house, where new tenants unconnected to the investigation now live, was taken into possession of Irish police after they were granted an order by the District Court.
Last week, An Garda Siochana confirmed they had launched a murder investigation.
On Tuesday evening, the Child and Family Agency Tusla said they raised a significant concern around Kyran to gardai in August.
“We can confirm that whilst Kyran was not in the care of Tusla, our services had engaged with both he and his family,” Tusla said.
“In August 2024, we alerted An Garda Siochana in relation to a significant concern about Kyran.
“Since August, we have continued to assist and work closely with the gardai, and in line with normal practice, all relevant information has been shared.
“We can also confirm that as appropriate a notification has been sent to The National Review Panel (NRP), whose responsibility is to independently review cases of serious incidents involving children in care or known to Tusla.”
Tusla also said it has commenced an internal review, to look at its engagements and interactions with Kyran and his family.
“We are conscious of the ongoing Garda investigation, and as such will not be commenting further at this time. Anyone with information on this case should contact An Garda Siochana,” they added.
Kyran was reported missing from his home in Drogheda on August 30.
Speaking outside Dundalk garda station, Chief Superintendent Alan McGovern said officers have taken possession of a private house in Emer Terrace.
“The purpose of these searches are to discover any evidence which might provide us with information as to Kyran’s current whereabouts or what has happened to Kyran,” Mr McGovern said.
“The house is known to have been Kyran’s family home for a period of years up to May 2024.
“I must emphasise that the current tenants of this house are not connected in any way with Kyran or his disappearance.
“An Garda Siochana can confirm that Kyran was a student in a local national school, here in Dundalk, up to approximately the end of the 2021/2022 primary school year.
“Kyran was reported missing, along with his mother, to An Garda Siochana on the 30th August 2024, and as having been last seen on or about the 28th August 2024. An Garda Siochana has identified the whereabouts of Kyran’s mother.
“Despite extensive inquiries carried out by gardai to date, we have been unable to either locate Kyran, identify any information on his current whereabouts or any evidence that he is currently alive.
“Following inquiries to date, investigating gardai now believe that Kyran is missing, presumed dead.”
Mr McGovern went on: “An Garda Siochana is liaising closely with other state agencies, including Tusla, who are co-operating and assisting fully with this murder investigation,” he added.
“I want to thank members of the public who have contacted the garda investigation team to date. Our sole focus and primary concern, and that of the investigation team, is Kyran.
“We want to discover where Kyran is. We want to discover what has happened to Kyran. I continue to appeal to anyone who has any information in connection with the disappearance of Kyran to contact investigating gardai.
“Do not rule out any information that you may have. Please do not assume that the investigation team know the information that you may have.
“Any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, will be welcomed by the investigation team. This information will be treated in the strictest confidence.”
Irish premier Simon Harris said Kyran was “failed badly” and that something went “extraordinarily wrong” in his case.
“Like everybody across the country, I’m really hoping for a breakthrough and progress this morning,” he said.
“The case of Kyran Durnin is deeply disturbing, deeply upsetting, in fact, I would go so far as to say it’s utterly horrifying.
“For any of us as a human being, for any of us parents, to think that a child can effectively disappear and go unnoticed and not be noticed that they’re not there is utterly heartbreaking and clearly something went extraordinarily wrong here. This child was failed and was failed badly.”
He said he would not “cut across” the Garda investigation, but pledged to “make sure we get to the bottom of this”.
Mr Harris added: “How was this child, an eight-year-old little boy, effectively disappeared and that not be noticed? I think there’s nobody in Ireland, including me, who can comprehend that this morning.
“Whatever needs to be done to establish, from an accountability point of view, how this child was failed, how Kyran was failed, must happen. The most important thing right now in the here and now is for that Garda work that’s actively under way as we speak, to (continue).”
On Monday, Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman said he had asked Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to send its files on Kyran to a panel which looks into the death of any youngster with links to State care.
He said this would not usually happen until an investigation has been completed, but that he has asked the agency to disclose any case files to the National Review Panel.
Mr O’Gorman said it will help investigators understand Tusla’s involvement in the case.
Gardai are appealing to anyone who has any information in connection with Kyran’s disappearance to contact Drogheda garda station on 041 987 4200, the Garda Confidential Line on (1800) 666 111, or any garda station.
