Social worker who ‘went above and beyond’ risked censure over fears for missing Kyran

A Tusla social worker who ‘went above and beyond’ as he became increasingly concerned about the welfare of Kyran Durnin risked being reprimanded at the time.

The MoS has learned the social worker was the first person to report the little boy missing at the end of August after his fears were heightened when another boy was presented to him as the missing eight-year-old.

Kyran’s grandmother also reported the child missing shortly after the social worker’s report was filed.

Gardaí said the boy is now ‘presumed dead’ and they have launched a murder investigation.

Detectives believe the child may have been killed more than two years ago when he was aged six.

The MoS understands from a source that the social worker became ‘seriously concerned’ for the welfare of the little boy in July and August.

Previous visits to the family home by Tusla reported the family home residence as being ‘in squalor’. Attempts to check on the family from 2022 to 2024 were frustrated by the door not being answered.

A source told the MoS the Child and Family Agency, Tusla will fare ‘poorly’ when their handling of the case is examined independently.

‘They [Tusla] basically tried to stop the social worker digging around. They felt he was going beyond what he should.’

The source told how Tusla notes also show that the family home was ‘in squalor’ in the two years when it’s now known the child was missing, but ‘nothing was done’.

‘In July of this year, a social worker started to do a bit of digging after he did a welfare check on the home,’ said the source. ‘He [Tusla social worker] was the one who reported him missing first. Then the grandmother did.

‘There were plenty of visits recorded to the house [in the two years Kyran was gone].

‘Squalor was noted, but no-one answered the door even though they could hear people inside.’ As the investigation into Kryan’s disappearance and suspected murder continues, more searches are ‘possible’.

‘It is possible more searches will be done, but where to look is the question,’ said the source.

Kyran Durnin. Photo via An Garda Síochána.

The MoS has also learned Kyran’s mother, Dayla Durnin, is currently living in a hotel on the east coast of England.

The MoS previously reported how she told gardaí she ‘kissed’ Kyran goodbye when she left Drogheda in August. Kyran and his mother were officially reported missing in late August.

According to the official missing persons’ report dated August 30, the child was last seen on August 28 at about 11am.

We also previously reported that, despite reports that the missing boy was listed at a Dundalk guesthouse during the summer, there is no evidence Kyran was ever actually there.

Detectives believe there was a deliberate attempt to deceive authorities into believing that he was still alive.

Kyran was listed as a guest over a four-week period during the summer, but sources said the owner of the guest house ‘never saw him’.

A source told the MoS: ‘He [Kyran] was booked into emergency accommodation in Dundalk but was never seen. ‘His name was listed, and his date of birth, but he was never seen by the owner.’

Last month, we reported how a different boy was presented to social workers and a school after fresh concerns were raised about Kyran’s welfare and whereabouts over the summer. Child benefit and welfare payments for the missing boy also continued to be paid, despite the authorities believing claims the boy had moved to the North.

Although sources say that the murder investigation has been continually frustrated, a chief suspect has been identified, as well as one other person of interest.

The last public sighting of the child, which gardaí have been able to confirm with certainty, was in May, 2022. A search of Kyran’s former family home and adjoining lands in Dundalk, Co. Louth ended last month with no evidence of any significance being found.

Kyran’s mother has remained in England while searches for her missing boy continue here.

Sources said Ms Durnin – who has no plans to return home – left in August carrying ‘two big suitcases’ with her belongings.

When contacted this week, Tusla said it had no ‘further comment to make’.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.