By Ciara O’Loughlin

Copyright belfastlive

My phone doesn’t stop pinging as the news was announced on Wednesday that skeletal remains were found in Donabate, Co Dublin. “You wouldn’t think people living among you would be capable of something like that,” one friend says, while another adds: “I haven’t been able to go near there, makes me sick”. The case of little Daniel Aruebose has stunned the entire nation. As a journalist, I frequently handle appalling stories—and many of them remain with me. However, this one is different; my eyes fill with tears whenever I read about the dreadful case or picture the final moments of this beautiful boy’s brief life, reports the Irish Mirror . He resided just a five-minute walk from my childhood home, and was thought to be interred in boggy terrain that I have wandered through for over 28 years. The coastal town of Donabate has become highly desirable in recent years, as it is becoming increasingly developed. And it’s not difficult to understand why. As a youngster, I was raised in an estate with scores of other children to play with. There was no such thing as staying indoors. From the age of four, I had my crew, and we played games on the green and raced around the corner with little supervision. The neighbourhood was so secure that we were walking to the shops at eight years old. Fields were our playground – including the one where The Gallery Apartments were subsequently constructed. This is the spot where little Daniel spent his final hours before his parents allegedly carried his lifeless body 3km to Riley’s Hill at the other end of the peninsula. Ever since the excavation started in Donabate over a fortnight ago, there’s been a sombre mood hanging over the area. Directly opposite the site is a primary school, and the children are full of questions. They see the tents, the gardaí, the cars, and they’re curious about what’s going on. Local Labour Councillor Corina Johnston expressed that while there’s a sense of relief in the community that his body was likely found, everyone has been deeply affected since the dig commenced. “There was a feeling of ‘Will there be closure? What’s going to happen?’ I’ve got a hundred messages on my phone from people who are devastated and heartbroken, questioning how this could have happened,” the politician shared yesterday. “We’re a very tight-knit community. People were saying they couldn’t believe it, this is just Donabate. Everyone knows each other. “It’s a tragedy that this has happened to our lovely little community and a lovely little boy, three years of age, who has lost his life.” Understandably, locals are horrified, and they want answers. How could this occur just a year after the shocking case of Kyran Durnin, who hasn’t been seen since 2022 but was only reported missing in 2024, came to light? I put this question to the Children’s Minister Norma Foley, but she says she won’t compare the two cases as “we don’t know the full details of either case”. Daniel was given up for adoption and placed in State care with Tusla at birth, but was returned to his parents when he was 18 months old after his mother changed her mind. Kyran was reported missing to the Gardaí at the end of August 2024, despite last being seen two years prior, with another child used to impersonate him in an attempt to deceive social services. Despite these circumstances, Minister Foley stated on Wednesday that she “absolutely” still has faith in the Child and Family Agency Tusla. “We are speaking on a particular case today and Tusla are cooperating in the investigation of that case,” she said. “They are doing their own rapid review but they will cooperate with the National Review Panel which is independent. I’m not going to add or detract from anything at this time and allow for the reviews to take place.” The Children’s Minister expressed deep sorrow upon learning that the remains of a child believed to be Daniel were discovered in Donabate. She added: “The death of a child is always heartbreaking, particularly for those who knew and loved the child. In this instance, I want to extend my sincere sympathy to everyone involved and take a minute to acknowledge the work of An Garda Siochana and those who assisted them in the past few weeks.” The area where the remains were found has been cordoned off by dozens of Gardaí, with the scene preserved on Wednesday pending the arrival of a State pathologist and a forensic anthropologist. Over twenty years ago, I frequently strolled through these very woods as my primary school organised nature walks here. We would explore different types of leaves and insects, all of us excited to be out of the classroom. As a teenager, my mates and I would wander through the forest, pretending we were on some wild adventure. In recent years, the far side of Riley’s Hill was developed to open up onto the New Road, and during Covid , I started jogging through the wooded pathway. Looking at this quiet area in a town that seldom makes headlines, I can’t help but think of all the experiences little Daniel will tragically miss out on. He never had the chance to attend his first day of primary school, make friends during nature walks, push boundaries as a teenager, or take up running. The beautiful lad didn’t even get to celebrate his fourth birthday. And even in death, everything was taken from him. No funeral. No coffin. No messages of condolences. No proper burial site. He was buried in the ground of a wooded walkway that thousands of people, including myself, would have crossed in the last few years, and none of us knew. 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