A man arrested last week over the suspected murder of a missing Irish schoolboy has been found dead.
Irish police believe Kyran Durnin, who was reported missing in August, may have died in 2022 when he was six years old.
The man, who was in his 30s, was found dead in a house in Drogheda, County Louth today after he was released without charge last Friday.
Officers said the local coroner has been notified and a post-mortem examination will be arranged.
The outcome of the post-mortem examination will determine the course of the investigation, police said. It is understood from early indications that it is a personal tragedy.
Police searched two homes in Drogheda last week, which involved a forensic and intrusive examination of one of the properties.
The search aimed to find evidence that may reveal where Kyran is or what happened to him, police said.
Investigators previously searched a former family home in Dundalk and adjoining land in October.
A woman was also arrested and questioned by police last Tuesday before being released without charge 24 hours later.
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A murder investigation was launched in October after Kyran’s disappearance. He was potentially missing for two years before authorities were alerted.
Last week, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said they had been “inundated” with information from the public.
“Certainly when we put out an appeal for information, right back on 14 October, we were inundated with information from the public. We’re really pleased to see that because that provided us with a lot of leads, a lot of inquiries for us to follow through,” he said.
“As this investigation opens out, we’ll start to learn more about where we are, who the suspects are, and then what we need to do to prove what happened to young Kyran.”