Man, 30s, quizzed in Kyran Durnin murder mystery probe found dead in Drogheda house days after arrest
A MAN quizzed in connection with the murder of Kyran Durnin has been found dead, it’s emerged.
The man, aged in his 30s, was arrested as part of the major probe and questioned at a garda station in the east of the country last week.
The man was found dead at a house in Drogheda, Co Louth earlier today.
Gardai are currently at the scene and have launched an investigation.
A post-mortem examination will take place on his remains to determine the course of the garda probe.
At a preliminary stage, gardai are understood to be treating his death as a “personal tragedy”.
A garda spokesperson this afternoon confirmed that emergency services were alerted following the discovery of a body of a man, aged in his 30s, in a house in Drogheda.
A statement said: “The local Coroner has been notified and a post-mortem examination will be arranged.
“The outcome of the post-mortem will determine the course of the investigation.
“No additional information is available at this time.”
The man was arrested and detained on suspicion of murdering the schoolboy on Thursday.
Gardai commenced searches at two houses in Drogheda on the same day, with the purpose of each being to locate Kyran or evidence of what may have happened to him.
Extensive searches have been carried out in Dundalk and Drogheda, but no trace of Kyran’s remains have yet been found.
The man, who recently told pals he had “nothing to do” with the schoolboy’s death, was released without charge on Friday.
He was associated with a 24-year-old woman linked to the child who was also arrested on suspicion of murdering the eight-year-old.
Gardai have been reviewing the information gathered over recent days, including from the interviews with the two suspects who were arrested, before deciding their next move.
LAST SEEN ALIVE OVER TWO YEARS AGO
Kyran, who would now be eight-years-old, is presumed dead after he was reported missing from his home in Drogheda in August of this year.
Over the month of September, as Gardai began their initial enquiries, it’s understood a person came forward and told cops they believed the eight-year-old was dead.
Gardai have since established that he was last seen alive at a primary school in Dundalk in May 2022 but there have been no confirmed sightings of him since then.
A murder investigation was launched in October after Gardai investigating his disappearance were unable to find any evidence that the schoolboy was still alive.
‘OBVIOUS’ LINE OF INQUIRY IN GARDA PROBE
Speaking on Friday, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said they had been “inundated” with information from the public on the case.
And the top cop said of Kyran: “I do not think that he is eight years old. I think Kyran died at the age of six years old.
“That’s where our investigative effort then is focused upon, focused upon that period in May 2022 and what happened to Kyran after that last, in effect, confirmed sighting, and how we can develop that on from there.
“The body of Kyran hasn’t been recovered and that’s an obvious point for us in terms of this probe.”
He added: “We are working through the investigation. We are certainly following a lot of live lines of inquiry, optimism is not a word that comes to mind when speaking about this.
“I know it’s a very professional inquiry that’s doing its very best with the information that we have.”
Gardai are appealing to anyone with information about Kyran, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to contact Drogheda Garda Station on 041 987 4200 or the confidential line on 1800 666 111.