The partial human skeletal remains that were discovered on Wednesday on a site in north Co Dublin have been exhumed and removed for a post-mortem examination, which will be carried out by the state pathologists.
A detailed forensic examination has been taking place on a site on Portrane Road in Donabate where the remains were found as part of the search for a missing boy.
Two state pathologists, Dr Heidi Okkers and Dr Yvonne McCarthy, visited the site yesterday.
Gardaí examined the area in and around where the remains were found to ensure they gathered all skeletal, evidential and forensic material.
They believe the remains are those of Daniel Aruebose whom they were told had been secretly buried after he died of natural causes.
The foster family who looked after the boy for the first 18 months of his life said they are devastated by his disappearance.
The discovery of the remains has been greeted with sadness and disbelief by the community in Donabate, where many people have been leaving flowers, soft toys and tributes at the search site.
The remains and clothing were found on Wednesday morning.
A post-mortem examination is to be conducted to establish the cause of death, which may take some time.
Detectives hope it will indicate whether it was accidental, from natural causes or related to something more sinister.
DNA samples will be taken to confirm the child's identity.
Gardaí were informed of the disappearance of Daniel by Tusla after the Department of Social Protection alerted the child and family agency to irregularities in an application for child support payments.
Tusla also confirmed that it had dealings with Daniel and his family. These are being collated to be examined by the National Review Panel.
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The investigation is being fully resourced and supported by national units including the Garda National Technical Bureau, Garda Air Support Unit, Garda Dog Unit and An Garda Síochána Analysis Service.
External expertise, including a forensic anthropologist, forensic archaeologist and specialist PSNI cadaver dogs, have also been utilised.
Read more:
What we know so far about the case of Daniel Aruebose
Daniel Aruebose lived at The Gallery apartments in Donabate before he went missing.
The child’s home has already been searched and forensically examined but gardaí say they are continuing to carry out house-to-house inquiries in the area and are anxious to speak to anyone who lived there since July 2019.
They are asking people not to assume that detectives already know what they know.
Gardaí released a photograph of Daniel in the hope of progressing the investigation and procuring further information about his short life and death.
They warned that misinformation and misinformed commentary about the case is circulating, particularly on social media, and asked people to verify what they are hearing and reading and to get their information from reputable sources.
