Woman arrested on suspicion of Kyran Durnin murder released without charge
A woman arrested on suspicion of the murder of Kyran Durnin, 8, was released without charge after being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. Gardaí continue their active investigation with further searches planned in the Drogheda area, while a BBC Spotlight programme features a grandmother's recorded account of last seeing the boy alive on 28 August 2022.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrested10 Dec
4 reports - Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports53 statements extracted from the articles
- whatA woman was arrested on suspicion of the murder of Kyran Durnin (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe woman is in her 20s and is well-known to the child (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe woman had recently returned from abroad of her own volition (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe arrest is said to have taken the woman by surprise (irishtimes.com)
- whatA woman was arrested on suspicion of murder of eight-year-old Kyran Durnin (irishmirror.ie)
- whatDayla left a note saying she needed to get away for a few days (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe mother told Suffolk Police she had no idea where her son was (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman was released without charge on Wednesday afternoon (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe woman is in her 20s (irishtimes.com)
- whatDayla Durnin was found in the UK without her son (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe school was led to believe Kyran would be attending school in Newry, Co Down, from September 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- whatA woman was arrested on suspicion of the murder of Kyran Durnin and released without charge (irishmirror.ie)
- whatGrandmother Rhonda Tyson was recorded on tape saying she last saw Kyran alive on Wednesday, 28 August 2022 (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe next morning both the mother and child were gone, and Dayla left a note saying she needed to get away for a few days (irishmirror.ie)
- whereKyran stayed in Rhonda Tyson's house in Drogheda, Co Louth with his mother Dayla (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe mother Dayla was located in East Anglia, England, staying with friends (irishmirror.ie)
- whereKyran stayed in Rhonda Tyson's house in Drogheda, Co Louth with his mother Dayla and had been sleeping on the couch (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe mother Dayla was located in East Anglia, England, where she has been staying with friends (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe arrest was made on Tuesday (10 December 2024) (irishtimes.com)
- whenKyran was reported missing from his home in Dundalk in August 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe woman was arrested on 10 December 2024 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenKyran was reported missing on 30 August 2023 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenGardaí believe Kyran has not been seen alive since the end of the summer school term in May/June 2022 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenGrandmother Rhonda Tyson recorded on tape that she last saw Kyran alive on Wednesday 28 August 2024 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenGardaí detained the woman on Tuesday after she returned from abroad (irishtimes.com)
- whenGardaí suspect the boy died sometime in the second half of 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- whenDayla Durnin and Kyran spent the night of August 28 into 29 in Rhonda Tyson's home in Drogheda (irishtimes.com)
- whenRhonda Tyson last saw her daughter and grandson at about 11pm on August 28 (irishtimes.com)
- whenTusla tried to contact the family on August 29 and could not locate Kyran (irishtimes.com)
- whenA family member made a missing persons report relating to Kyran and his mother on August 30 (irishtimes.com)
- whenA public appeal for information was made by the Garda on September 4 (irishtimes.com)
- whenOn October 16 the missing persons appeal relating to Dayla Durnin was stood down and a murder investigation was launched (irishtimes.com)
- whenKyran was last seen at school in Dundalk, Co Louth, in June 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- whenKyran Durnin was reported missing on 30 August 2022 (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe woman is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí became aware she was back in Ireland and arrested her (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe woman is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda Station in the east of the country (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationGardaí searched and dug up the former family rented home in Dundalk but found nothing of significance (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationDetectives plan to search and dig at other locations most likely in the Drogheda area (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe tape recording has been handed over to the Gardaí as part of their investigation (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe arrest was carried out to put evidence gathered to date to the woman as part of a long-range strategy (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí knew of the woman's whereabouts for several months and had spoken to her while she was abroad (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí were unable to arrest the woman while she was not in the Republic (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí were unable to extradite her because no charges had been approved by the DPP (irishtimes.com)
- investigationDetectives are still trying to establish where and when Kyran died and if his death was definitely a homicide (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí have not completely ruled out the possibility Kyran died accidentally and his death was concealed (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí carried out extensive searches at a property on Emer Terrace in Dundalk in October, including excavating the back yard and nearby open land (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe woman was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda Station in the east of the country (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationA search and dig was conducted at the former family rented home in Dundalk but nothing of significance was found (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe tape recording has been handed over to Gardaí as part of their investigation (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe BBC Spotlight programme 'The Lost Boy' about the case was screened on Tuesday 10 December 2024 (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe interview with the grandmother was conducted by Andy Spearman, editor of the Drogheda Life news website (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe recorded interview was obtained by the BBC Spotlight team for their programme 'The Lost Boy' (irishmirror.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 11 Dec2024Woman arrested on suspicion of Kyran Durnin murder released without charge
Adds that a woman was arrested under Section 4 and released without charge; details of a search and dig at the former family rented home in Dundalk yielding nothing of significance; grandmother Rhonda Tyson's recorded account of last seeing Kyran alive on 28 August 2022; mother Dayla located in East Anglia, England, and told Suffolk Police she had no idea where her son was; BBC Spotlight programme 'The Lost Boy' features the grandmother's interview conducted by Andy Spearman.
victim, Kyran Durnin, 8, male, irish (judged from name)Kyran Durninsuspect, female - 11 Dec2024Kyran Durnin case: Suspect arrested on suspicion of boy’s murder released without charge
Confirms the woman is in her 20s, was detained on Tuesday after returning from abroad, and that Gardaí were unable to arrest or extradite her while she was outside the Republic. Explains the arrest was a long-range strategy to put evidence to her rather than expected to result in charges. Provides detailed timeline of the disappearance and investigation, including the October searches at Emer Terrace, Dundalk, and the October 16 upgrade to a murder investigation.
victim, Kyran Durnin, 8, male, irish (judged from name)Kyran Durninsuspect, 20s, female - 11 Dec2024Woman arrested on suspicion of murder of little Kyran Durnin
Reports the arrest of the woman on 10 December 2024, details the BBC Spotlight programme 'The Lost Boy' screening, the grandmother Rhonda Tyson's recorded account of last seeing Kyran alive on 28 August 2024, and the mother Dayla's location in East Anglia, England.
victim, Kyran Durnin, 8, male, irish (judged from name)Kyran Durninsuspect, female - 10 Dec2024Woman (20s) arrested on suspicion of murder of Kyran Durnin (8)
Provides detail on the arrest: the woman is in her 20s, well-known to the child, had recently returned from abroad of her own volition, and the arrest took her by surprise. Confirms her continued presence overseas had been an obstacle to the investigation and that there are no grounds for extradition solely for questioning.
victim, Kyran Durnin, 8, male, irish (judged from name)Kyran Durninsuspect, 20s, female