Gardai ready to make major decision on case of missing Dublin child that is presumed dead
The search for the missing boy presumed dead in north County Dublin entered its 15th day on Tuesday, with still no sign of his remains. This comes as the child's mother will continue to be questioned informally by gardai investigating the case this week. Gardai are also ready to decide whether to extend the search if there are no developments with the current operation. The major garda hunt for the little boy - who has not been seen in four years and would be around seven years old now - commenced on September 2 after the site on the Portrane Road in Donabate was cordoned off the previous day by officers. The site, which is around 4km from the apartment at The Gallery in Donabate where the little boy was last believed to have been alive, is the area where the child's mother indicated to gardai where he was buried. However, despite clearing a large area of the site and in particular a new area inside the cordoned off area where the child's mother then claimed to gardai she is 'adamant' he is buried, the little boy's remains have not yet been recovered.
07/09/2025 Gardai pictured this afternoon on day 6 of a search at an area of open ground on the Portrane Road, Donabate, where they are continuing their search for the remains of a child, presumed dead ....
(Image: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos)
"Investigators are also considering extending the search for the little boy if no breakthrough is made in the coming days", according to sources. Meanwhile, gardai will continue to question the boy's mother informally this week in a bid to get more information as to what happened to the little boy and a more precise location as to where he was buried. "Investigators have already spoken to the child's mother on an informal basis and she has been co-operating but they will continue with the informal questioning again this week," sources said. The child's dad - who is Irish but moved to Brazil - also continues to be spoken to informally by phone by investigators. The child's disappearance only came to light at the end of August during a spot-check over child allowance payments being made to the child's mother. Alarm bells started to ring when the name of the school provided by the mother denied he had been a pupil. Sources say the child's parents continue to maintain that the child passed away in his sleep from natural causes, that they discovered him dead in his bed and panicked and secretly buried him by digging a shallow grave by hand in the marshy lands nearby. Last week we revealed that the little boy was changed from his pyjamas into his day clothes after he died and kept in the apartment for 24 hours before being secretly buried with his favourite teddy bear that was given to him by his foster parents while they cared for him during his early life. The little boy was given up for adoption by his parents but they later changed their mind once they were allocated an apartment by Fingal County Council. The child was then given back to them by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Tusla's engagement with the boy appears to have ended as soon as he was returned to his parents in 2020. It's understood gardai were also told the body of the little boy was wrapped in a blanket and placed in a rucksack and carried to his secret burial place. We also revealed that there is no trace that the little boy ever lived in the apartment with his parents - as all of his possessions have been gotten rid of. "There's no sign of anything belonging to the little boy in the apartment, not even a toy or clothes," sources told Irish Mirror. "And because of that it looks like the child never even lived there, which he did but with everything of his gone, it's as if he didn't even exist. "But the little boy did exist and did live in the apartment," sources told us. The only item gardai are understood to have retrieved from the apartment when it was forensically searched was a photograph of the little boy - which is understood to have been hidden away in the apartment. Gardai from Swords Station, who are leading the investigation, are working on the assumption that the boy is buried on the land. But, there are fears that because he was buried in a shallow grave, that wild animals such as foxes, which have been seen in the area, may have disturbed his remains. Sources say gardai are "certain the child existed but that the child is now dead." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
