Police in Ireland have discovered buried remains they believe could belong to a missing boy. It has been years since anyone has seen Daniel Aruebose, and the discovery of the bones indicates to authorities that he is dead. The search for the little boy began after Ireland’s Child and Family Agency (Tusla) alerted police to his possible disappearance. This has now led to a full-scale search and investigation into what could have happened to the boy.
The Gardaí (Irish police) confirmed on September 17, 2025, that “human skeletal remains of a child” had been found. It also believes “these to be the remains of Daniel Aruebose,” a boy who has allegedly been missing for a while.
“An Garda Síochána is currently engaging with the local coroner in relation to the discovery of these remains. The remains will be subject of careful and sensitive exhumation from the current burial site,” the press release reads.
“Formal identification of the remains will now have to be carried out including DNA analysis,” the release continued.
According to the release, the last place Daniel was seen living was The Gallery Apartments, Donabate, County Dublin. The release mentioned that it has been “a number of years since there has been any confirmed sighting of Daniel.” If the boy was still alive, he’d be 7 years old.
The search came after Tusla raised concerns about the boy’s whereabouts on August 29, news agency RTE reported. Detectives suspected the boy had been harmed, and his body had been disposed of. But they were told that he had died of natural causes and buried in the ground.
Tusla was on alert to the case after a welfare payment application was filed with the Department of Social Protection. A check was conducted, and it showed that the boy had never been registered for school.
As the Gardaí began the search for Daniel, Tusla confirmed they had dealt with the boy’s family five years ago. Their engagement with the family ended in 2020, the agency said. Daniel was 2 years old at the time. Representatives did not elaborate on why it hadn’t been in contact with the family since then.
“Following enquiries carried out by and information available to investigating Gardaí to date, An Garda Síochána are satisfied that Daniel is deceased,” the press release said.
“The death of a young boy is an unimaginable tragedy, and we offer sincere condolences to those who knew and loved Daniel,” Tusla said in a statement that People magazine published. “We will continue to engage fully with An Garda Síochána as they continue their investigations and will provide support and care to those impacted.”
“Where there is a serious incident or death involving a child open to, or previously known to our service, we conduct a review of our engagement, and that review is sent to the National Review Panel. The review relating to Daniel will be given to Minister Norma Foley by the end of this month,” it added.
