The Garda Commissioner has said he has not seen anything like the Kyran Durnin case in more than 40 years in policing.
Speaking at Garda headquarters in the Phoenix Park, Commissioner Drew Harris said the case is “difficult to comprehend” and insisted Gardaí are fully focused on the investigation.
Kyran was first reported missing in August; however, Gardaí now believe he was last seen more than two years ago.
They have launched a murder inquiry and are investigating on the basis that Kyran is “missing, presumed dead”.
“It is an extraordinary incident,” said Commissioner Harris.
“I have over 40 years now in the police and I have not seen, really, the like of it.
"I cannot think of a similar set of circumstances, and in that way, there's just 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 figure and resources.”
‘I’ve not seen the like of it in 40 years’
The Garda Commissioner says the #KyranDurnin case is ‘difficult to comprehend’ – but investigators are ‘pursuing it with full vigour and resources’.
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) October 24, 2024
Gardaí are continuing the search at the Durnin’s former family home in Dundalk for the third day today, with Gardaí now focused on an area of wasteland to the rear of the back garden.
Shocked and saddened
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Newstalk Chief Reporter Barry White said neighbours are shocked and saddened at the case.
"On Monday, these residents on Emer Terrace would have been going to work or leaving their kids to school just like any normal day," he said.
"However, on Tuesday and yesterday, when they were doing the same thing, going to work, leaving their kids to school, they were passing Gardaí and forensics who're searching for a missing child who's presumed dead.
"And this child used to live beside them, used to live on their street, and the neighbours told me that the dead used to see Kyran with the family, and his sibling a number of years ago."
Aerial image shows Gardaí carrying out searches at the garden of Kyran Durnin’s former family home in Dundalk, 22-10-2024. Image: AlamyGardaí have been using a mini-excavator to dig in back garden of the house and Bary said the nearby wasteland is “a difficult area to search”.
"It's covered in large bushes and trees, as well as bags of household waste and rubbish that has been there for quite some time,” he said.
"A digger and hedge trimmers that were being used by investigators yesterday will be used today again in a bid to find evidence.
"They spent all day there yesterday, and the search here is expected to continue throughout the day and may continue tomorrow but Gardaí haven't confirmed that."
Deeply upsetting
The case was raised in the Dáil yesterday, with Taoiseach Simon Harris calling for a "structure" to be put in place to "get to the bottom" of the eight-year-old's disappearance.
"An eight-year-old boy effectively went missing for two years, and the saddest and most painful thing is that nobody asked why or where was he for that period of time," he said.
"I think any one of us thinking that that could happen to any child is deeply upsetting."
Reports this morning suggest that one of Kyran’s family members reporting him missing in August, just 24 hours after Tusla officially went to Gardaí with concerns about the boy’s welfare.
You can listen back to Barry’s full report here:
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Main image: Split image of Garda Commissioner Drew Harris speaking the Kyran Durnin case & Gardaí searching wasteland behind Durnin family house. Image 1: Bauer Media Image 2: Alamy
