Apartment searched for boy missing for up to five years, feared dead

Gardaí fear may he have died in unreported and suspicious circumstances in Dublin

A Garda spokesperson told the Irish Examiner: 'Gardaí are continuing to carry out operational enquiries in North Co. Dublin into the current whereabouts and welfare of a child'. Picture: Larry Cummins.

An apartment in Dublin has been searched as part of an investigation into the possible suspicious death of a boy who has not been seen for about five years.

Gardai were notified by Tusla, the child and family agency, about the disappearance of the boy on Friday – a year to the day that the disappearance of Kyran Durnin in Louth was reported to gardaí.

A garda source said this afternoon that the similarities between the two cases is a “macabre coincidence” and ruled out any connection between them.

It is understood that the Dublin case relates to a boy who had been living in Donabate but who has not been seen since he was around three and a half years old. Gardaí are probing whether he died in suspicious circumstances.

There are no records of the child having started school. He would now be approximately seven years of age if alive.

It is understood the case was brought to the attention of gardaí after an application was made for social welfare in respect of the child.

Although gardaí are not releasing any details about the family involved in the Dublin case, it is understood that the mother is not Irish. She has spoken to gardaí in recent days, as officers searched the apartment where the boy had been living for clues as to his whereabouts. It is believed a number of other locations are also being searched as part of the probe.

The focus of the inquiry is to establish where the boy has been buried or disposed of, following his death.

A source said: “Our belief would be that the child is deceased. How that has happened is still to be determined.” He added: “It is scarily similar to the Kyran Durnin case. How could it happen once – but to find out it may have happened twice is terrible.” Garda sources say there are no concerns about other children.

House to house enquiries are being conducted in the Donabate area to enable gardaí build a timeline of when exactly the child was last seen and when he died.

Gardai will not confirm if members of the boy’s family currently live in the apartment which was searched over the weekend.

A garda statement said on Monday evening: “Gardaí are continuing to carry out operational enquiries in North Co. Dublin into the current whereabouts and welfare of a child. An Garda Síochána is not in a position to provide any further detail at this time.” 

In response to a query from the Irish Examiner, Tusla confirmed the agency made the referral to gardaí on Friday about the "very sensitive case".

The statement said: "Our thoughts are with the child’s family, friends, and community at this difficult time. We can confirm that that we made a referral to An Garda Siochana on 29th August 2025, in relation to our concerns about the safety and wellbeing of this child. We continue to work closely with the Gardai, and in line with normal practice, all relevant information relating to this family has been shared. Anyone with information on this case should contact An Garda Síochána in Swords."

The boy and Kyran Durnin are among more than 140 children currently missing in Ireland, according to garda missing person reports and Interpol Yellow Notice lists.

An Irish Examiner study of reports of missing children in January found that there were 137 cases of people who had gone missing as children.

Since January, four have been found. However, on Monday evening, there are 145 such cases, including those of the Donabate boy and Kyran Durnin.