Locals in Donabate in north County Dublin held a vigil in memory of the young boy whose remains were discovered in the area earlier this week.
A search for Daniel Aruebose, who had last been seen alive about four years ago, had been going on in a green area on the outskirts of Donabate for about a forthnight before his remains were discovered.
Hundreds of locals gathered at a green area in the town around 5pm where a poem was read and prayers were recited before blue and white balloons were released in Daniel's memory.
The event was organised by the chair of the local senior citizens' group and people who attended said they had come to remember Daniel as the community tries to understood how his death went unnoticed for so long.
Mary McLoughlin, Chair of the Donabate Portrane Senior Citizens Group, said: "There's great sadness around and we just feel so sorry for that little boy, and we're just out to give him a fond farewell, and we hope that he rests in peace."
Liam Byrne and his wife Rita said they came to try and understand what happened.
"We're distraught. It's the talk at the town, the village, and everybody's the same. 'How did it happen?'"
Amanda O'Hara from Portrane said what happened to Daniel was unthinkable.
"It's hard to fathom, or maybe process that something like this has happened in our area. We're shook."
Serhiy Shalapay, who is originally from Ukraine but has lived in Donabate for 20 years, said the area is a place where if people needed help they would get it and that it was now difficult to explain the case to his children.
"My son, he was playing on that field, and now it's terrible for him. He can't come to that field anymore because he's so sad."
Karen O'Brien from Portrane said she's also finding it difficult to pass the site with her young children.
"There's an eerie feeling in the area, it's just heartbreaking," she said.
Neil Dempsey said he came to the vigil because he didn't know what else to do.
"I think we're terrified. There's an air of terror about the place that wasn't there before. The notion that something like this could happen and no one noticed," he said.
