A hearse arrived last night at the site in Donabate where the remains of a child, believed to be missing boy Daniel Aruebose, were found this week.
Gardaí had delayed the removal of the remains until they had thoroughly examined the site for DNA, hair, skin fragments, blood or any other evidence that could potentially lead to a prosecution.
A Dublin undertaker will keep Daniel’s body while funeral arrangements are finalised.
A postmortem is set to take place on the remains of the child.
September 18, 2025: The Garda Technical Bureau investigate the scene in Donabate, north Dublin, where skeletal remains believed to be those of Daniel Aruebose were found. (RollingNews.ie)
Meanwhile, a TD has called for a public inquiry into the case. Labour TD Duncan Smith told Extra.ie yesterday that a public inquiry is needed to find out how Daniel "fell between the cracks" of the State’s family care agency, Tusla.
"The whole atmosphere in Donabate is heavy and sad. Locals are mourning. Now that remains have been found, it’s time to progress towards finding out what happened to Daniel in his short life and finding out how Tusla, or other agencies, could fail Daniel in his care," Mr. Smith said.
Donabate is in Mr. Smith’s constituency of Fingal East, Co. Dublin.
"How did this child fall between the cracks? This is the time for action and answers. If a fault is found, it’s likely to be with Tusla and the Minister for Children will need to act accordingly and hold it accountable," Mr. Smith said.
On Wednesday, Children’s Minister Norma Foley said that a "check-in" register for children along various stages of their development could be set up and that wellbeing checks on children in 42,000 cases that were closed by Tusla during the pandemic would be "independently managed."
The minister added that she had faith in Tusla and she expected the agency to complete a "rapid review" of Daniel’s case by the end of the month.
Mr. Smith added that he had written to Ms. Foley two weeks ago calling for a public inquiry into the case, which he described as a "tragedy beyond comprehension."
September 18, 2025: Tributes left at the site in Donabate, north Dublin, where skeletal remains believed to be those of missing seven-year-old Daniel Aruebose were found. (RollingNews.ie)
Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships yesterday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the case was a "reflection on wider society and all of us."
He said: "It is deeply, deeply shocking and very, very sad that the remains of a young boy have been discovered.
"The family, the community, and I think wider society are deeply saddened, particularly when, you know, the photographs emerged, which put a person and an identity on to what was prior to that – you didn’t realise who the boy was."
September 18, 2025: Tributes left at the site in Donabate, north Dublin, where skeletal remains believed to be those of missing seven-year-old Daniel Aruebose were found. (RollingNews.ie)
Remains were discovered on Wednesday at a piece of marshy land in Donabate, approximately two kilometres from Daniel’s last known home at the Gallery Apartments in the village.
Daniel had been missing for several years but would have been seven years old if he was alive today.
Tusla has confirmed that it had engaged with the family five years ago after being informed by the boy’s parents that they would not be able to care for him.
But after being placed in foster care, when Daniel was around 18 months old, his mother changed her mind and he was returned to her and the child’s father.
Daniel’s mother is understood to have told gardaí that he was dead after relatives – whom she claimed he had gone to live with – confirmed that they had not seen him in years.
An extensive search began at a field on the Portrane Road outside Donabate on September 1 after concerns for the boy were raised by Tusla on Friday, August 29, when a Child Benefit claim was made on his behalf.
The mother eventually confessed the boy died four years ago, aged just three. Sources said she has provided "specific" details on what she said happened to her son and attended the site of the search several times.
The father has also continued his co-operation with gardaí, albeit from afar, as he left Ireland in early 2023 for a new life in South America.
Both the mother and father have insisted that the child died of natural causes.
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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