COPS used CCTV footage to confirm another kid pretended to be missing Kyran Durnin.
The boy, who would be eight if he was still alive, was last seen in June 2022.
A missing person’s investigation was launched in August 2024 before being upgraded to a murder probe.
Gardai believe schoolboy Kyran, from Drogheda, Co Louth, was killed more than two years ago and his body hidden.
We can reveal detectives twigged he was probably dead after trawling CCTV going back to June 2022 and finding footage of a child who claimed to be Kyran at meetings with officials.
They also discovered footage of Kyran in June 2022, when he was six, and were able to confirm they were different children.
Officers have now spoken to dozens of people including the boy’s grandmother, who reported Kyran missing at Drogheda Garda Station on August 28, 2024.
But a senior Garda source said the investigation has been made severely complicated because of the 30-month time gap involved.
They said: “It is very difficult trying to jog people’s memories going back two-and-a-half years and asking them if they recall seeing this little fella on the streets or around the place.
“Many people don’t remember where they were or what they did two weeks ago, nevermind a year or two ago.
“If the child vanished in the last six months, the case would be far easier to crack.”
So far two suspects have been arrested and released without charge, including father-of-two Anthony Maguire who took his own life days after being freed.
Maguire, who was a suspect in the case and had been questioned by gardai, took his own life at his home in Drogheda last year.
Maguire’s phone and notes found at the house after his death last December have been examined by gardai.
Cops suspected Maguire was part of a plan to try and con social workers by bringing a decoy child in Kyran’s place to a meeting.
‘INVESTIGATION CARRIES ON’
Previously, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris told the Irish Sun: “The investigation carries on and I am being kept abreast of developments. The investigation carries on.
“Obviously then we will get to a point of conclusion and it will go then to the DPP but that is still some way off.”
Last year, An Garda Siochana published new pictures of Kyran as they called on anyone who may have information relating to his disappearance to get in touch with them.
TIMELINE CHANGE
Detectives believe that the boy was killed in June 2022, a month later than they previously thought.
He has not been seen in public since then.
It is understood that two women who were told the child was missing before the gardai knew about it have contacted officers and made detailed statements.
They are among a long list of crucial witnesses who are now coming forward to help cops with their inquiries.
Gardai are also trying to narrow down a list of sites where they think Kyran could be buried.
