Irish police find skeletal remains in search for missing boy

Daniel Aruebose, pictured here when he was about two years old

Skeletal remains found during a police search in Donabate, County Dublin are believed to be those of a missing young boy.

Gardaí (Irish police) have said they believe the remains are of Daniel Aruebose.

It is believed he has been missing for a number of years and would be seven years old.

Concerns for Daniel's whereabouts had been raised last month by Tusla, the Irish state agency responsible for child welfare and protection.

An area of open ground in the village, which lies to the north of Dublin, had been the subject of a search for a number of weeks.

Gardaí have confirmed a "careful and sensitive exhumation" will now take place and DNA analysis will be carried out to formally identify the remains.

Searches began in an open area in Donabate at the beginning of September

Daniel lived in The Gallery Apartments in Donabate, where an examination was first carried out on Sunday 31 August.

Door-to-door enquiries at the building complex continue to be carried out.

No one has been arrested in connection to the case.

'Never acceptable'

Ireland's Minister for Children Norma Foley said she was "deeply saddened" by the discovery of a child's remains.

"The death of a child is always heart-breaking and upsetting but it is especially so for those who knew and loved this child.

"I extend my very sincere sympathy to all involved," she added.

The minister thanked gardaí and other agencies "for their diligent work on this search over recent weeks".

Daniel Aruebose was the second child to go missing in the Republic of Ireland in recent years without triggering any kind of search or investigation.

Kyran Durnin from Dundalk, County Louth, was reported missing in August 2024, but gardaí believe he may have been killed more than two years before the report.

The disappearances are not connected but they have caused widespread public concern over the state of child protection services.

Questioned by reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Foley agreed it was "shocking" that a child could be missing for so long without any intervention from authorities.

"It is never acceptable that a child would go missing for any length of time," she said.

"In this instance I think it's very important that sooner rather than later we get to the bottom of this and the other case so that we will know exactly what happened."

Wellbeing checks on closed cases

Foley said Daniel Aruebose's disappearance would be the subject of a "rapid" review by Tulsa which is examining its contacts with the boy's family.

She said the case will also be examined by Ireland's National Review Panel, which investigates serious incidents including the deaths of children who are in care or known to the child protection system.

Tulsa said it last had dealings with Daniel's family five years ago, but did not confirm why its services ceased or why no further checks or contacts appear to have been made after the child was two years old.

It also confirmed that since 2020, no new referral or information of concern was received about the child until 29 August this year.

On that date, Tulsa referred the matter to gardaí following a report from the Department of Social Protection.

The agency said the closure of the case was "appropriate".

Following the news of Daniel's disappearance, Foley said Tusla would undertake wellbeing checks on cases closed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tusla's chief executive Kate Duggan previously estimated that would involve checks on about 38,000 children.

However, on Wednesday Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that figure has since risen to 42,000 cases.