The youngster, who would be eight years old this year, was reported missing along with his mother Dayla on August 30, but after extensive investigations, gardaí [Irish police] upgraded the inquiry to a murder investigation.
Dayla was found alive and well in the UK at the end of August, but gardaí fear Kyran may have been dead for up to two years.
The Dundalk community gathered at Market Square on Monday night (October 28) for a vigil for the child, with some attendees placing candles under a large screen.
The screen displayed a picture collage of Kyran alongside the message: "Where is wee Kyran Durnin?"
The vigil was organized by local Brittany McEnteggart who said the vigils will "hopefully continue until we find and bring him home."
She said: "I would like to have them continuously until Kyran’s case is solved."
Vigil held in Dundalk for missing schoolboy Kyran Durnin https://t.co/UuJVwFSZgL
— The Irish News (@irish_news) October 28, 2024
Search
It had been hoped that a search of Kyran’s former home on Emer Terrace in Dundalk, Co Louth would yield some strong evidence of his disappearance.
After three days, gardaí found nothing of "serious evidential value," sources said, and are now making their way through mounds of statements they have received from members of the public since the call went out for support.
After deeming two people as "major suspects" in the case, gardaí are now focused on their movements and are attempting to track their lives over the last two years, to ascertain the last time Kyran was verifiably alive.
Gardaí are essentially "working their way backwards" with these people and attempting to create a timeline of their activities, who they were with and where they went next.
Vigil held in Dundalk for missing schoolboy Kyran Durnin https://t.co/bzozTnfuME
— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) October 28, 2024
It had been thought that the home of a relative of the child was next on the search list as the young boy had stayed there frequently, however, gardaí have since confirmed "no active searches" are taking place at the moment.
While gardaí are keeping tabs on the whereabouts of their chief suspects, multiple sources have said that making any arrest in the case is a double-edged sword.
"It’s a question that is being asked a lot, and rightly so," a source said. "But gardaí in this case have to be extremely careful for a number of reasons.
"In terms of the search in Dundalk, it was a bit of a blow for investigators as they had targeted that house due to specific intelligence, so to come away with not much, if anything, was frustrating."
Last week, Ireland’s Child and Family Agency, Tusla, said it had raised a "significant concern" regarding the missing child to Gardaí in August.
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* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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