Man arrested and questioned over Kyran Durnin murder found dead

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A man who was quizzed over the murder of missing child Kyran Durnin and found dead has been named.

Anthony Maguire, 36, was questioned over the unexplained disappearance of 8-year-old Kyran and his suspected murder, reports Dublin Live.

Maguire - who was a prime suspect in the case - was found dead in his home on Tuesday morning, with reports suggesting an initial assessment suggesting that the death was "personal tragedy."

It is understood interviews with Maguire last week provided few answers for investigating the state police force for the Republic of Ireland - as he remained quiet throughout.

He was then released without charge following the conclusion of a brief but "intrusive" search of the back garden of his home in Beechwood Drive, Drogheda, Co Louth, Ireland, last week.

Detectives quizzed Maguire over the murder as forensic officers searched his home and a mini digger was brought in - along with a cadavar dog, in an attempt to search for any evidence of a body last Thursday.

However, after they discovered no evidence the search concluded- and Maguire was subsequently released without charge - pending a file being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

His arrest came a day after a young woman was arrested and released without charge over littlw Kyran's suspected murder.

Maguire was known to gardai and considered a volatile man - although he had not been before the courts in some time.

He was previously in court in April 18, 2009, for punching a teenage girl at Buttergate.

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In her evidence the woman who alleged Maguire punched her in the face, stated she'd been with friends when a girl pulled her to the ground by her hair - and as she got up Maguire punched her.

At the age of 22, he appeared before the courts over criminal damage at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda where he became agitated and smashed a window after having a row with his girlfriend.

Coners have risen that Kyran has in fact been missing and dead for two years, but efforts to determine how and when he disappeared are continuing.

The murder investigation was first launched in October. It is suspected that the boy, who was reported missing in August, might have died in 2022 when he was six.

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency said that in August it alerted officials to a significant concern about Kyran and that while he was not in its care, it had engaged with him and his family.

Tusla subsequently conducted an internal review into its interactions with Kyran and his family.

A grandmother of Kyran Durnin reportedly was recorded on tape claiming that she last saw the youngster alive on Wednesday, August 28.

Rhonda Tyson said he stayed in her house in Drogheda, Co Louth, with his mother, her daughter Dayla and had been sleeping on the couch.

However, the following morning when she woke up, both mother and the child were gone. Dayla left a note for her on the table saying she needed to get away for a few days.

Her recollection of seeing Kyran recently alive is at loggerheads with the view of the Irish police that he has been dead for the last two years.

The recorded interview was obtained by the investigative BBC Spotlight team for their programme on the case The Lost Boy which was screened last Tuesday.

In a statement on Tuesday about the discovery of Maguire's body, gardai said: "Earlier today, Tuesday, 17th December 2024, Gardaí and emergency services were alerted following the discovery of a body of a male aged in his 30s in a domestic residence in Drogheda, County Louth.

"The local Coroner has been notified and a post-mortem examination will be arranged. The outcome of the post-mortem will determine the course of the investigation. No additional information is available at this time."

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