Coroner delays inquest into Donabate toddler’s death as criminal case is weighed

The inquest into the death of Daniel Aruebose was paused on Thursday as prosecutors evaluate a criminal case. The Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard that criminal proceedings are being considered over the death of the three-year-old boy. His body was found in an unmarked grave in north Dublin last year. He had not been seen alive for four years before his discovery.

Detective Inspector Seán Earley asked the court to adjourn the case under Section 25 (1) of the Coroners Act. He stated that the Garda investigation into the circumstances of the boy’s death is still ongoing. The application was granted, and the case is set for a further update on May 12, 2027.

Forensic scientist Gillian Lavelle testified that DNA tests were required to formally identify the remains. She explained that three different profiling techniques were used, including standard autosomal DNA testing. Samples were taken from Daniel’s mother, Maria Aruebose, his paternal uncle Matthew Dirrane, and his father Ciarán Dirrane. Lavelle said the results strongly supported the identification. The odds were two million to one that the remains belonged to the biological child of Aruebose and Dirrane rather than an unrelated individual.

Daniel was born on December 12, 2017, and lived in an apartment at The Gallery, Turvey Walk, Donabate. He spent part of his early life in foster care before being reunited with his parents. The Child and Family Agency, known as Tusla, supervised the parents’ care of the boy until 2020. His disappearance was not reported to authorities at the time, and he is believed to have died in 2021.

The case came to light when a check on a back-to-school allowance claim revealed Daniel was not listed at a named school. Department of Social Protection officials alerted Tusla to the discrepancy. Tusla then notified Gardaí on August 29, 2025. A murder investigation began after skeletal remains were exhumed from an open ground site in Donabate in September 2025. That excavation followed an extensive two-week search by police.

Gardaí have coordinated with law enforcement agencies in the US, Brazil, France, Australia, Portugal, the UK, and the UAE, as well as Interpol. Two people in their 20s were arrested during the probe. One male suspect was extradited from Brazil. Both individuals were later released without charge. No relatives attended the brief hearing, though Maria Aruebose was represented by solicitor Martin O’Donnell. Coroner Myra Cullinane did not reference the cause of death in her ruling.

Daniel’s body remains in Dublin City Mortuary in Whitehall. No one has contacted the coroner’s office regarding funeral arrangements. The boy would be eight years old today.