A search at a property and its adjoining garden in Drogheda relating to the disappearance and presumed murder of Kyran Durnin enters its second day today.

Kyran has not been seen since 2022 when he was six-years-old; however, he was only reported missing in August of 2024.

He would now be eight years of age.

On Newstalk Breakfast, the Irish Times security and crime editor Conor Lally said a large team moved in on the house in Drogheda yesterday.

Members of the Garda carry evidence bags at the scene of a property in Drogheda as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Kyran Durnin. 26/02/2025 Image: Alamy

“Really, this is just the latest phase as part of this ongoing inquiry into what happened to Kyran Durnin,” he said.

“He'd be eight-years-old now if he was alive, but Gardaí obviously believe that he died in the summer sometime in 2022.

“We saw two of these types of searches being carried out last year - there was a house in Drogheda searched in the same way and also a house in Dundalk at the very end of the year.

“What the Gardaí have done is they've gone into these properties for several days, they've really taken these houses apart, excavated back gardens and so on.”

The arm of an excavator can be seen at the scene of a property in Drogheda where the search for Kyran Durnin continues. 26/02/2025 Image: Alamy

Mr Lally explained that the house Gardaí are currently searching would have been very familiar to Kyran.

“This is a property, really, that Kyran would have been in and out of during his life.

“He knew the people who owned this house, and Gardaí have had several of these properties on the radar since the inquiry began last September.

“This is now the third house to be searched in that way, and we expect the search to carry on for quite some time.”

Garda searching a property as part of the investigation into Kyran Durnin's disappearance. 26/02/2025 Image: Alamy

Mr Lally said Gardaí are trying to find “any evidence” that would offer “some kind of breakthrough” in the case.

“Particularly, they're looking for the remains of Kyran because, unless they find his remains, really the inquiry faces an uphill task,” he said.

“If you haven't got a body in a homicide inquiry, it's very, very hard to make progress on it.

“At the moment, despite all the work that's been done, there's been no big breakthrough in the case, and obviously, without Kyran’s remains, they can't determine how he died or where or when he died.

“Really, they're the basic factors that you would have really in any homicide inquiry, and they're absent here.”

Mr Lally said that without having the basic evidence in the case, “it is going to be very hard for Gardaí”.

Split image shows Kyran Durnin (L) and the search of a house (R)