An investigation is under way into the disappearance of a child in Dublin who has not been seen for at least three years. The boy, who would now be seven years old, is presumed dead.
Crime Correspondent Paul Reynolds reports on what is known about the case so far.
The sequence of events here is that this case came to light when there was an application made for child benefit in the name of the child to the Department of Social Protection.
The department examined the application and carried out inquiries and it was discovered that there was no record of the child having gone to school.
Officials became concerned and brought those concerns to Tusla, as they are required to do under mandatory reporting legislation.
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, then carried out its own due diligence inquiries and realised very quickly that something was amiss.
The child was last known to be alive when he was around three and a half years old but has not been seen since.
He would be seven years of age now.
Tusla became concerned about the safety and well-being of the child and referred the case to gardaí last Friday.
They immediately commenced a major investigation, appointing a senior investigating officer and establishing an incident room at Swords Garda Station - which also covers the seaside area of Donabate in north Dublin.
Garda investigation
Gardaí say the boy is last known to have lived at The Gallery Apartments in Donabate, but that it has now been a number of years since there has been any confirmed sighting of him.
They also say that following inquiries carried out and information available to them to date, they have been unable to either locate the boy, identify any information on his current whereabouts or any evidence that he is currently alive.
Investigating gardaí therefore believe that the boy is missing, presumed dead.
They carried out searches and a technical examination at an apartment in The Gallery complex last weekend.
Gardaí also conducted house-to-house inquiries in the area.
They have identified relatives and people who were close to the child's family and have spoken to them and the boy's parents. Some of the people they have spoken to are out of the country.
Last night, gardaí took control of an area of open ground in Donabate.
It has been sealed off and a search for the remains of the boy began there this morning and is expected to continue for the next few days.
Gardaí have also appealed to anyone with information to contact them.
Garda approach
Gardaí suspect the child may have come to some harm but do not know if that was accidental, intentional, violent or criminal, so they are keeping an open mind and say they are handling this case sensitively.
They are trying to find out where the child is and how the child died, and to do that, they need to find the child's remains, hence this morning's search.
They have requested that the media provide them with the time and space to carry out the search operation sensitively.
They are also not identifying the boy or his family at this stage for what they call "operational reasons" and, so far, no arrests have been made.
They have not ruled anything out, including the possibility that the child could have died of natural causes and was then buried in secret and in private, in a case that could be more tragic than criminal.
If that were to turn out to be the case, then the reality is that under Irish law, there may not have been a serious criminal offence committed.
While it is an offence not to report the death of the child to the authorities, it is only a minor or summary offence which under the Coroners Amendment Act of 2019 is punishable by a fine of up to €4,000.
There are more serious penalties for potential offences such as improperly disposing of a body or aiding in the concealment of a body, but prosecutions for these offences usually relate to serious violent crime and gangland murder, and these are clearly not a factor in this case.
Government and agency reactions
Minister for Children Norma Foley says she is "deeply concerned" about this missing child and that his welfare is "uppermost" in her thoughts.
She said she has been briefed on this matter by officials and spoken to the Tusla chief executive about it.
The minister said she has asked Tusla to keep her fully informed of developments and has appealed to anyone with information about the missing child to provide full cooperation to An Garda Síochána as it carries out its investigation.
Tusla has described it as "a very sensitive case" and says its thoughts are with the child's family, friends and community at this difficult time.
The Child and Family Agency has also confirmed that it made a referral to gardaí last Friday because it had concerns about the safety and wellbeing of the child.
It says it continues to work closely with gardaí and, in line with normal practice, all relevant information relating to this family has been shared.
It will be interesting to know in time what information Tusla and other State agencies had about this child and his family, but once again this case raises the distressing and disturbing question of how a child can disappear for years and not be missed.
