Heartbreaking mystery of 3-year-old boy nobody knew existed until he died

Three-year-old Daniel Aruebose mysteriously vanished before his parents buried him in a 'panic', and it later emerged that relatives never even knew he had existed.

The young boy from Ireland disappeared during the summer of 2021, but he was never reported missing. It wasn't until the end of August, during a routine check-up by officers from Ireland's Department of Social Protection (DSP), that Daniel's disappearance came to light.

There was a lack of registered details for Daniel, who would now be eight years old, including a school and a GP. This prompted major concern over his whereabouts, and it also emerged that Daniel, including his grandparents, never even knew he existed.

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On September 17, after nearly three weeks of searching by the Garda's DMR North Divisional Search Team, the remains of a three-year-old were found on a boggy wasteland in North County Dublin. The remains are believed to be those of missing Daniel, but Gardaí are still awaiting DNA results to confirm the identity.

In a chilling turn of events, his parents, Maria Aruebose and Ciaran Dirrean, from the Aran Islands, Co Galway, confessed to burying their three-year-old son in a shallow grave. They have claimed he died peacefully in his sleep from natural causes.

The parents told investigators they panicked and transported his body in a rucksack nearly 4km from the flat they were residing in at The Gallery in Donabate. They then reportedly dug a shallow grave with their bare hands on the boggy wasteland along the Portrane Road to bury their son.

It was previously disclosed that Daniel was changed from his pyjamas into his day clothes and buried alongside his favourite teddy bear that his foster parents had given him. His father, Ciaran, relocated to Brazil following the tragic death of Daniel, establishing a new life there, while his mum, Maria, continued to reside in an apartment at The Gallery in Donabate.

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It's also been reported that a recently purchased mobile phone belonging to Maria was seized by Gardaí in recent days as part of the ongoing investigation into the child's death. There was only one photograph of Daniel, hidden in the flat where he lived with his parents, which Gardaí also took into custody.

Investigators also seized her previous mobile, and both devices are currently being analysed as part of the ongoing investigation. Detectives are believed to be examining calls, messages, internet activity and location data that could illuminate the mother's movements and communications before and after Daniel's death and his clandestine burial in the wasteland.

Aruebose left home at 18 and limited contact with her family, who, according to the Daily Mail, had no idea that she's had a child. It was only when officers knocked on her mother's door to see if Daniel was staying there that they found out. Their landlord in Portmarnock also had no idea that she had been pregnant.

"She wasn't pregnant when I met them," he told the Irish Independent. "They would lie in their room watching television. I just kept to myself. I was never aware she was pregnant until this particular day I said to Ciaran, 'Where is Maria?' and he said, 'Oh, she's gone to the hospital to have a baby.' I said, 'You must be joking!' and he said she was gone to have a child.'"

The young child was initially given up for adoption by his parents, but they had a change of heart once Fingal County Council allocated them an apartment. Subsequently, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, returned the child to them, who would have been celebrating his eighth birthday in December.

The horrifying discovery of what are believed to be Daniel's skeletal remains marked the sorrowful conclusion to the extensive search for the missing three-year-old. A post-mortem was conducted, but the results remain inconclusive, and additional tests are underway to establish the cause of death, along with the DNA results.

A Garda spokesperson said: "An Garda Síochána has no update on DNA identification at this time." Gardaí continue to appeal for information regarding the circumstances surrounding Daniel's death.