The woman who was arrested in connection with the murder of missing schoolboy Kyran Durnin has been released without charge.
Gardaí investigating the suspected murder of Kyran expect to make more arrests in the case, as they believe a number of “co-conspirators” helped to cover up his disappearance.
The woman in her 20s, who is the chief suspect in the murder of the eight-year-old, was arrested yesterday after returning to Ireland from overseas.
It is understood detectives became aware that the woman, who was well known to Kyran, had arrived in Ireland by ferry.
This development led officers to postpone a planned operation in relation to the murder investigation.
The last confirmed sighting of the schoolboy was at his primary school in Dundalk, Co Louth, in May 2022, and he has not been seen alive since.
He was reported missing by a family member last August, while Tusla alerted gardaí to a significant concern it had about him.
The case was subsequently upgraded to a murder inquiry and detectives made their first arrest yesterday as part of the investigation.
During their enquiries, gardaí have been given a number of false accounts linked to the child’s disappearance and suspected murder.
Kyran Durnin
Individuals are suspected of giving false information about the child to state agencies, including Tusla.
Gardaí believe there are a number of “co-conspirators” involved in the boy’s disappearance. “There are people out there who wittingly or unwittingly were involved in a cover-up,” a source said.
Learn more
“Did they know the boy was alive or dead when they got involved in giving false accounts?
“It is not necessarily about what these people have said to gardaí – it is about their interactions with other state agencies and the local community in general.
“Some individuals have said they have seen the child alive when the boy was not physically seen for two years. This is a complicated case like no other in the history of the State.”
It has emerged that on two occasions, a boy that was not Kyran was interviewed by social workers, and sources say this was an example of the deceit that has been seen in the case.
A source added: “Gardaí believe they were told a pack of lies in this case.”
In an interview last month, the chief executive of Tusla said the child and family agency had not received any referrals from the school about Kyran’s attendance or education between 2022 and this year.
The Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, has called for a public inquiry to establish how the schoolboy went missing for two years without any state agency intervention.
She told a BBC Spotlight documentary about the case that aired last night: “This case should be a watershed moment for child protection in Ireland.
“It seems to me that there has to be a robust independent inquiry, a public inquiry which looks at the broader non-criminal issues and looks at how on earth this can have happened, and fundamentally looks at what needs to change in Ireland’s child protection system to ensure that it never happens again.”
Gardaí had previously carried out the search of a private house in Dundalk where Kyran’s family had previously resided.
However, following a detailed examination of the property and back garden, nothing of significant evidential value was recovered.
The current occupants of that home have no connection to Kyran’s disappearance.
Gardaí at Drogheda garda station are continuing to appeal for information in relation to Kyran’s murder.