Criminal proceedings are being considered in relation to the death of Daniel Aruebose, whose body was discovered in an unmarked grave last year, an inquest has heard.

Daniel was last seen alive at the age of three at his home at The Gallery, Turvey Walk, Donabate, Co. Dublin, around five years ago.

It is believed the toddler, who has been described as ‘a happy, vibrant young boy’, died at some point in 2021 without his death being reported to authorities.

At the opening of the inquest into Daniel’s death at Dublin District Coroner’s Court yesterday, Detective Inspector Seán Earley applied for an adjournment of the case on the basis that criminal proceedings are being contemplated. Det Insp Earley confirmed that the Garda investigation into the circumstances of the boy’s death is ongoing.

A forensic scientist, Gillian Lavelle, told the inquest that DNA tests were needed to provide evidence of Daniel’s formal identification by proving the remains were those of the biological child of Maria Aruebose and Ciarán Dirrane.

‘It was a challenging case from a DNA perspective given the extremely decomposed condition of the remains,’ said Dr Lavelle. Dr Lavelle, who works with Forensic Science Ireland, said three types of DNA test were used: a standard test, plus two others that trace the boy’s maternal and paternal lines.

The inquest heard DNA samples were originally provided by Daniel’s mother and his paternal uncle, Matthew Dirrane, with another sample provided at a later stage by Ciarán Dirrane.

Dr Lavelle said the test findings showed strong support that the remains were those of Daniel as they were two million times more likely to be those of the biological child of Ms Aruebose and Mr Dirrane than of some unknown, unrelated individual.

No reference was made to the cause of Daniel’s death by coroner Dr Myra Cullinane, but it is understood that the results of a post-mortem were inconclusive.

Offering her sympathy to anyone affected by Daniel’s ‘tragic loss’, Dr Cullinane granted the application for a six-month adjournment and listed the case for a further update on the progress of the Garda investigation to May 12, 2027. No relatives of the deceased attended the brief hearing, although Ms Aruebose was represented by her solicitor, Martin O’Donnell.

Daniel, who was born on December 12, 2017, lived in an apartment in Donabate with his parents for most of his life.

Although he had been in foster care for a period, he was subsequently reunited with his parents, whose care of their son was supervised by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, until 2020.

Daniel’s disappearance first came to light when a check on a back-to-school allowance claim for the boy found he was not listed at a named school, which raised concern about his welfare and whereabouts.

Officials at the Department of Social Protection alerted Tusla, which notified gardaí about its concerns on August 29, 2025.

A homicide investigation was launched after the boy’s remains were discovered and exhumed from a burial site on open ground in Donabate in September 2025 following an extensive search by gardaí lasting over two weeks.

As part of a renewed appeal for information last August about the disappearance and death of Daniel, An Garda Síochána said gardaí were determined to vindicate the boy’s human rights and to remember his short life.

Gardaí revealed they had conducted over 800 separate tasks as part of their investigation and taken over 400 statements.

In addition, they retained over 100 physical exhibits and nearly 300 documentary exhibits. Gardaí have also liaised with law-enforcement authorities in several other jurisdictions including the US, Brazil, France, Australia, Portugal and the UK as well as Interpol and the UAE embassy.

Two individuals, both aged in their 20s, have been arrested as part of the investigation. The two suspects – one female, and one male who was deported to Ireland from Brazil – were subsequently released without charge.

It was confirmed last month that the body of Daniel remains in Dublin City Mortuary in Whitehall, as nobody has contacted the coroner’s office in relation to funeral arrangements.

It was previously reported that the boy’s parents told gardaí that he died in his sleep from natural causes and that they panicked and buried him in a shallow grave.