Kyran Durnin was reported missing in August
A woman arrested by gardaí investigating the disappearance and murder of missing schoolboy Kyran Durnin has been released without charge.
Kyran, who would now be eight years old, was reported missing in August of this year, but gardaí suspect he may have been killed up to two years ago.
The woman, aged in her 20s, had been abroad for a period of time but was arrested in Ireland yesterday on suspicion of murder.
It is understood that she was known to Kyran and has been a person of interest in the case for some time, and that gardaí have also spoken to her on a number of previous occasions.
The woman was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act at an undisclosed garda station in the northeast of the country.
She could be questioned for a maximum of 24 hours but her period of detention had been suspended on at least one occasion to allow for a rest break.
This was the first arrest made as part of this murder investigation, which gardaí have said remains ongoing.
In a statement confirming the woman’s release this evening, gardaí also renewed their appeal for anyone with information on the case to come forward.
A garda spokesperson said: “An Garda Síochána continues to appeal to any person with any information, on the disappearance and murder of Kyran Durnin, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to contact the Garda Investigation Team at Drogheda Garda Station on 041 987 4200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or speak with any member of An Garda Síochána.
Gardaí renewed their appeal for anyone with information on the case to come forward
In August, a missing person’s report was filed at Drogheda Garda Station in relation to Kyran and gardaí were told he was last seen in the town two days previous.
However, during the course of this inquiry, information came to light that led detectives to suspect that Kyran had been missing for longer than two days.
It subsequently emerged that he had not been seen since May 2022, when he had been a pupil at a local primary school in Dundalk.
In October, the missing person’s case was upgraded to murder.
Gardaí established that Kyran had previously lived at a house in Dundalk for a number of years and searched it and an adjoining area of open land as part of their murder investigation.
Gardaí have said the current tenants who live at the property are in no way connected to Kyran or his disappearance.
The results of the three-day search were not released for operational purposes.
The Child and Family Agency Tusla said that in August, it alerted gardaí to a significant concern about Kyran and that while he was not in its care, it had engaged with him and his family.
Tusla subsequently conducted an internal review into its interactions with Kyran and his family.
The agency said it would not be making the review public but it has since been shared with Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman.
Meanwhile, a separate report requested in relation to information held by Tusla’s Education Support Service has been shared with Minister for Education Norma Foley.
The review report has also been made available to the National Review Panel, whose responsibility it is to independently review cases of serious incidents involving children in care or known to Tusla.
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