Kyran Durnin: Drew Harris has not seen such ‘extraordinary case’ in more than 40 years of policing

The case of missing boy Kyran Durnin is an “extraordinary incident” the likes of which Drew Harris says he has not seen in his more than 40 years in policing.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin, the Garda Commissioner said the investigating team has been trying to identify proof of life since Kyran Durnin was last sighted in 2022.
“So, I cannot comment specifically on whether Kyran reached his seventh or eight birthday.”
He described the possibility that a boy had been missing for two years and possibly murdered and this having gone unnoticed as an “extraordinary incident” and one he had not seen the like of in his more than 40 years in policing.
“I cannot think of a similar set of circumstances and in that way there is a particular element to this that is difficult to comprehend.”
Gardaí believe the eight-year-old boy from Drogheda, Co Louth, may have been killed up to two years ago, having not been seen since he was removed from his primary school in 2022.
Tusla had some dealings with the child’s family in previous years but there was no indication he was a victim of abuse.
When Kyran Durnin was officially reported missing from his home at the end of August, gardaí opened an investigation. However, that missing persons inquiry, for the boy and his mother Dayla Durnin (24), was stood down last week after gardaí traced and spoke to his mother and found no evidence the boy was alive.
[ Family member reported Kyran Durnin missing 24 hours after Tusla alertOpens in new window ]
Mr Harris sais he was briefed on the case in early September and met the investigating team.
“Throughout we have been very concerned to understand what has happened to Kyran and where this investigation is going to take us.”
He said that since the gardaí went public about the murder inquiry some very important information had been received and he encouraged any member of the public who had any information to get in contact.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee echoed these remarks, calling on anyone with information to come forward, because “any small detail might help on this”.
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland the Minister also said people will be held accountable over the case if necessary.
Ms McEntee said there were many questions to be answered in order to understand what happened in the two years the boy was not seen.
“Were there failures here? Was there something that could be done? Because there is now a murder investigation. How has this happened? What has happened to Kyran Durnin? How do we find him? And how do we make sure that if there are problems here, that we fix them now?”
“If there are changes that need to happen with any of the structures in our State, then that has to happen, too,” she said.