Data held by Tusla on its engagement with missing boy Kyran Durnin and his family was lost in a security breach, the Irish Independent can reveal.
The last confirmed sighting of the Dundalk boy was two years ago when he was six years old.
Gardaí launched a murder investigation last week.
Sources said the loss of the data was “a matter of concern” for investigators in the murder case because of the complicated investigation.
“Every bit of information and data that the gardaí can get in this case is of crucial importance, so it is a matter of concern that some data is unavailable,” a source said.
Contacted for comment on the loss of the data, Tusla, the State’s Child and Family Agency, did not address the potential impact on the garda murder investigation, but insisted it had no effect on Tusla’s own internal probe into its handling of the case.
A Tusla spokeswoman said: “A system used by some staff in this regional area was not restored following the cyber attack, as it was based on old technology.
“However, this was not the system of record for case notes and isn’t relevant to the internal review under way.”
The cyber attack was part the 2021 HSE hack, in which the data of around 20,000 people was compromised. The exact nature of the lost data is not known at this time.
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Last week, Tusla announced an investigation into the agency’s engagements and interactions with Kyran and his family.
Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman said yesterday he expected its findings would be given to his department and Education Minister Norma Foley this week.
Mr O’Gorman said there were “very clearly failings” when a child could go missing for two years without the authorities noticing.
Last week, it emerged that Tusla said it had raised a “significant concern” around the missing child with gardaí in August.
In a statement, Tusla said it had started an internal review “to look at our engagements and interactions with Kyran and his family”.
Although the Child and Family Agency said Kyran had not been in its care, it said “our services had engaged with both he and his family”.
The Tusla statement added: “In August 2024, we alerted An Garda Síochána in relation to a significant concern about Kyran. Since August, we have continued to assist and work closely with the gardaí, and in line with normal practice, all relevant information has been shared.
“We can also confirm that, as appropriate, a notification has been sent to the National Review Panel, whose responsibility is to independently review cases of serious incidents involving children in care or known to Tusla.
“We have also commenced an internal review, to look at our engagements and interactions with Kyran and his family.
“We are conscious of the ongoing garda investigation, and as such will not be commenting further at this time. Anyone with information on this case should contact An Garda Síochána.”
A photo of Kyran Durnin on display outside Dundalk Garda Station (PA)
A search operation at the rented former Durnin family home and adjacent land in Dundalk concluded on Thursday evening, with no major discoveries made.
Gardaí are expected to search another property connected to the family in Drogheda.
Gardaí have conducted a large number of interviews with potential witnesses in the case, including with Kryan’s mother Dayla (24), who is currently based in the Ipswich area of England. Both Kyran and Dayla were reported missing last August 30, but, after extensive investigations, gardaí upgraded the probe to murder.
They believe Kyran may have died more than two years ago.
The State’s special rapporteur on child protection, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, has described the case as deeply disturbing.
Tanya Ward, chief executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, said: “What shocks me is how on earth did this happen over two years, in a family, community, a school, in contact with Tusla and other services? It confounds me in a country where child protection is meant to be everyone’s business how he could slip through the net.
“We need to establish the issues that led to a child disappearing two years ago and not being reported to any authority.”