GARDAI are tonight probing if a missing boy was murdered as far back as 2022 — the last time he was seen before he vanished.
Cops think eight-year-old Kyran Durnin was last spotted in public two years ago.
Investigators in Drogheda, Co Louth today declared a murder inquiry with the missing boy presumed dead.
It follows a six-week-plus probe after Kyran and his mum Dayla Durnin were reported missing from their home in the north-east town by a concerned woman known to them.
Officers were told that both had been seen two days prior to the report being made.
Mum Dayla has been located alive in the UK, but there has been no sign of her son Kyran.
A missing persons appeal for Ms Durnin was stood down today.
Following the missing persons investigation, new information came to light that indicates the last confirmed sighting of Kyran was in 2022.
After extensive inquiries, Gardai have not been able to corroborate any evidence on his whereabouts since or any proof that he is alive.
Although they have yet to find a body, they fear that he has been murdered.
A senior source said: “There has been a huge amount of investigation done so far.
“There is no substantive proof of life in regards to the boy and with the large amount of information gathered by Gardai in Drogheda, it has led to the belief that he was murdered.
‘INCREDIBLY COMPLEX INVESTIGATION’
“It is an incredibly complex investigation but every effort is being made to find out where the boy is and what happened.”
The Irish Sun also learned that officers here are working with Interpol and UK authorities on the investigation.
Detectives are now trying to establish if the child had stayed at different locations between the time he was last seen alive and the time he was reported missing.
Despite the ongoing murder probe, Gardai have not definitively ruled out the possibility that Kyran could have died accidentally.
CASE ‘VERY SENSITIVE’
The investigation team is working closely with Tusla, the child and family agency, who are fully co-operating.
Another source explained: “This case is very sensitive. Gardai are liaising with a number of agencies and supporting the boy’s family at this very difficult and traumatic time for them.”
Kyran’s grandmother Rhonda Byrne Tyson, who is Dayla’s mum, gave an interview last month to say she last saw her own daughter Dayla on the night of Wednesday, August 28 when she went to bed at 11pm.
She told Drogheda Life: “Dayla left a note on the table saying that she needed to get away for a few days.”
‘PLEASE GET IN TOUCH’
Rhonda explained she had been calling Dayla’s mobile every day but the calls go straight to voicemail.
She added: “I just want to tell Dayla to please get in touch and tell us that she and Kyran are alright. The children and I are worried sick and miss her very much.”
Locals in Drogheda were stunned at the news today.
One local from Dayla’s neighbourhood explained: “Everyone was aware of the missing person appeal. But I just heard on the radio it is a murder investigation now, which is just mad altogether. A young boy, shocking.”
Kyran is described as being 3ft 3in in height, with medium build, brown eyes and brown hair.
In an appeal today, a garda spokeswoman urged: “Gardai are appealing to anyone who has any information in connection with the disappearance of Kyran to contact the Garda station in Drogheda on 041 987 4200.”
