The most senior garda in Co Louth has said he wants to remind anyone withholding information in the case of missing schoolboy Kyran Durnin that they could be committing a criminal offence.
Chief Superintendent Alan McGovern also appealed again to anyone who can help the garda investigation into the boy's disappearance to come forward.
It is understood that further searches are likely to take place as part of this investigation, and further arrests may be made.
It is now over one year since Kyran Durnin was first reported missing from his home in Drogheda, Co Louth.
Gardaí are continuing to work on the assumption that the boy, who would now be nine years old, may have died up to two years before he was reported missing.
Images of the schoolboy, which had been taken in June 2022 and were subsequently discovered on a mobile phone, have led gardaí to believe that he may not have made it past the age of six.
It is understood that gardaí are currently using specialists in the field of digital examination to review an extensive amount of electronic evidence.
Speaking at the Tony Golden Memorial Cycle in Haggardstown this morning, Chief Superintendent for the Louth/Cavan/Monaghan Garda Division, Alan McGovern, gave an update on the investigation.
He said: "A number of arrests have been made and intrusive searches have been carried out, and our senior investigating officer and his team are working hard in the case.
"But we are appealing for anyone with information in relation to Kyran Durnin to come forward and a reminder that anyone withholding information may be committing a criminal offence," Chief Superintendent McGovern added.
The investigation is said to be "complex," and the death of a man arrested as part of the investigation is understood to have posed a significant challenge for gardaí.
Last December, Anthony Maguire was found dead at his home in Drogheda just days after he was released without charge.
Gardaí subsequently said they were treating the matter as a "personal tragedy", and were not looking for anyone in connection with the 36-year-old's death.
A woman in her 20s, who is understood to have been known to Kyran and was a person of interest in the case for some time, was arrested on suspicion of murder after she returned from abroad last December.
However, the woman was subsequently released without charge.
Three properties - one in Dundalk and two in Drogheda - have also been searched as part of the investigation.
However, it is understood that nothing of major significance was discovered.
In the past year, gardaí have taken more than 570 separate investigative actions in relation to Kyran's disappearance and suspected murder.
Almost 30,000 hours of CCTV footage has been seized from numerous locations and continues to be examined.
The Child and Family Agency, Tusla, has said it is continuing to work closely with gardaí in relation to the case.
Despite the last confirmed sighting of Kyran being in or around June 2022, Tusla said it received no referral in relation to any concerns about his welfare between that year and 2024.
The agency has said that while Kyran was not in its care, it had previously engaged with him and his family.
Last November, it completed an internal review of these interactions.
A separate report requested in relation to the information held by Tusla's Education Support Service (TESS) was also completed.
The reports have been shared with the Department of Children and the Department of Education, respectively, but neither have been published owing to the live garda investigation.
The internal review has also been shared with the National Review Panel, which is responsible for independently reviewing cases of serious incidents involving children in care or who are known to Tusla.
The Department of Children has said it is now awaiting a separate report from the National Review Panel, adding that the panel is prioritising this case.
The case of missing schoolboy Kyran Durnin comes against the backdrop of an ongoing search in Donabate in north county Dublin for another missing child, who is presumed dead.
This second boy, who would now be seven years old, has not been seen alive since he was three.
Gardaí have been told that the boy died of natural causes and was buried in an overgrown site on Portrane Road.
Tusla has confirmed that it also had dealings with this child five years ago.
However, the agency said that since 2020 no new referral or information of concern was received about the boy until the end of last month.
Anyone with any information in relation to Kyran Durnin or his disappearance, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is asked to contact the investigation team at Drogheda Garda Station on 041 987 4200, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
