Members of Kyran Durnin’s family have deleted their social media accounts as concern over the child’s disappearance and presumed death continues.
The Irish Daily Mail understands that the family members had been subjected to vile abuse over his disappearance, and at least three have now deleted or restricted access to the accounts in the last 48 hours, which previously had been publicly available.
It comes after Garda searches for the child’s remains in his native Dundalk concluded without success on Thursday.
On Thursday, gardaí finished searching Kyran’s former home on Emer Terrace in Dundalk, Co Louth, as well as wasteland close to the back garden.
They believe the child is dead and could have died up to two years ago, despite only being reported missing at the end of August.
It is believed nothing of major evidential value was discovered at the property, and the Garda team is now exploring the possibility of searching other homes Kyran allegedly stayed at while he was missing.
October 22, 2024: Garda forensics technical bureau teams searching a property at Emer Terrace in Dundalk, Co Louth. (RollingNews.ie)
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on Thursday described Kyran’s case as "extraordinary" and unlike anything he has seen in his 40-year career.
Kyran Durnin, who would now be aged eight, had lived at the property on Emer Terrace with his mother Dayla and his two younger sisters.
Both Kyran and Dayla were reported missing on August 30 this year but after extensive investigations, gardaí upgraded their probe to murder. They believe that Kyran may have died up to two years ago.
Dayla was found alive and well in the UK. The social media profiles of members of his family had been a hive of activity prior to news of Kyran’s disappearance going public.
In the last 24-28 hours, those profiles have either disappeared or have been scrubbed with no pictures or any other information now available. The Mail understands that each member of the family had been targeted with abuse by members of the public regarding his disappearance.
There is no official Garda investigation into these threats, it was confirmed on Thursday night.
"In a case like this, you can only imagine the number of conspiracy theories that are popping up online and when you have people just guessing what happened, then Kyran Durnin’s family becomes a target. It appears this is what has led them to take down their social media profiles," one senior source told the Mail.
The search for Kyran’s body will continue, gardaí said, however, the force would not officially confirm what locations would be targeted next.
However, the Mail understands that two homes of Kyran’s relatives are now top priority for investigating gardaí.
On Thursday, Commissioner Harris said: "It is an extraordinary incident. I’ve over 40 years now in the police, and I have not seen really the like."
"I cannot think of a similar set of circumstances, and in that way, there’s a particular element to this which is difficult to comprehend. But we have our work to do.
"This is a murder investigation and you can be assured that we are pursuing it with full vigour and resources."
Mr. Harris said he was first made aware of Kyran’s case in early September.
"From the very beginning of this investigation, from August 30, it commenced as a missing persons investigation and then very quickly Garda members, their suspicions were aroused and I was briefed on this in early September and visited the investigation teams," he said.
"We have obviously been very concerned to understand what has happened to Kyran Durnin and where this investigation is going to take us.
"I don’t want to comment on what our next steps might be in terms of searches and what other investigative steps we want to take. But you can be assured it is fully resourced and it continues at pace.
"We have received a lot of information from the public, certainly since last week, with important information. We encourage anyone who might know anything to forward. What we have worked at is to try and identify proof of life since the last actual sighting in 2022, so I cannot comment specifically on whether Kyran Durnin reached his seventh or eighth birthday."
Justice Minister Helen McEntee said the country is devastated over a young boy possibly missing for two years and is not known to anyone, including authorities.
"The death of any child is devastating, particularly where children are vulnerable and where a child is engaged with State agencies or is in our State services, and they are particularly vulnerable.
"There is an onus to do everything we can to protect them," the Fine Gael minister said.
"If there was a failure, we have to understand what has occurred here and how we make sure it doesn’t happen again."
It emerged that the Child and Family Agency Tusla, said it raised a "significant concern" around the missing child to An Garda Síochána in August.
Investigations into how a child missing for two years could go unnoticed by the State are continuing. Tusla said it has launched its own investigation into its handling of the case and confirmed that it had been in contact with Kyran Durnin’s family prior to him being reported missing.
The State’s special rapporteur on child protection, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, said the case is deeply disturbing.
"On the face of it, it looks as if our systems were not fit for purpose, they failed Kyran, and it’s taken two years for us to catch up on what’s happened," she told RTÉ Radio’s News at One.
"But from what we do know, a child apparently went missing from the face of the planet for two years and that was not picked up. And we’re only now uncovering what may have happened in 2022, in 2024. So that’s deeply concerning."
In a statement on Thursday night, gardaí urged anyone with any information to come forward.
"An Garda Síochána continue to appeal to anyone who has any information in connection with the disappearance of Kyran Durnin to contact investigating gardaí.
"You can 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."
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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