Gardai involved in the search for missing child Daniel Aruebose were left stunned when resources were suddenly ‘cut’ amid the investigation.

Some officers who were drafted into the search of land in Donabate, Co Dublin for missing three year Daniel Aruebose were outraged when they were told their overtime pay, which they were receiving in order to bolster resources amid the major operation, was suddenly being cut.

Sources say Garda resources were stripped back amid the discovery of the child’s suspected remains on Wednesday – sparking a senior officer to complain to his superiors about the issue.

Sources also say that a major Garda conference was due to get underway as the suspected remains were being sent for a CT scan – after a post mortem on the skeletal remains last Friday yielded an ‘inconclusive’ cause of death. However the conference was suddenly cancelled when it emerged that overtime had been cut – meaning the officers involved wouldn’t have been paid if they had attended.

Sources say this is because a cap on the overtime had already been exceeded – and senior gardai made the call to cut resources right back.

One source said there is a feeling of frustration among rank and file that resources on the major investigation, which has stunned the country, have been cut. “It seems senior management are content that the body was found and to just cut the momentum of the investigation for now,” a source said. This is despite saying that no resources would be spared.”

It is understood a senior officer complained to Garda management about the cutting of resources in recent days and was then summoned to a meeting on the issue.

The Irish Mirror put those claims to the Garda Press Office, which returned a comment stating that there remains a “live and active investigation led by a Senior Investigation Officer (SIO) based out of an incident room established at Swords Garda Station.”

The Garda spokesperson went on to cite the fact that the investigation involves the Crime East DMR North Garda Division, Divisional Search Team, Divisional Scenes of Crime Team, Uniform and Community Policing resources – and has been supported by National units including Garda National Technical Bureau, Garda Air Support Unit, and Garda Dog Unit.

“In general, An Garda Síochána has an obligation under health and safety legislation and the Working Time Directive to ensure Gardaí are working an appropriate level of hours and are taking rest days,” they further stated. This is particularly the case when working on traumatic and sensitive investigations.”

It comes as sources say the post mortem examination which took place on the partial skeletal remains last Friday uncovered an ‘inconclusive’ cause of death. The finding means officers are not yet satisfied with exactly how the young child died – and need further testing to try and determine a cause. The remains were therefore being sent to a hospital for a CT scan to try and find those answers.

Gardai were also awaiting the results of a DNA test to confirm suspicions that the remains are in fact those of Daniel. It comes as sources yesterday said the decision to move the investigation on from a missing persons case still has not been made. But sources have stressed that gardai are taking their time with the probe – and are in no hurry to rule in or out murder, accidental death or other causes at this point. They are also understood to be considering whether or not to make any arrests in relation to the failure to report a body.

“There’s no plan at this point to make any arrests or to change the course of the investigation to homicide or otherwise,” a source said. “This is an extremely complicated investigation, and once a person is arrested, it is a ticking clock. There’s no appetite to make any sudden moves here while there are tests remaining.”

Gardai recovered most of the believed skeletal remains of Daniel from the land last Wednesday – after searching the area that was identified by his mother – who is cooperating with the investigation. It is understood they are now eager to speak further to the child’s father – who is residing in Brazil. Investigators have spoken with the man over the phone – but they hope to meet him in person as soon as possible.

The parents of the child, who have been cooperating ever since officers knocked on the mother’s door on August 29, have insisted that they discovered him dead of apparent natural causes back in 2021. The mother of the child twice travelled to the search site to help identify the spot she told investigators she had buried the child four years ago. She is now understood to be residing in a new location outside of Donabate.

The parents have claimed that they moved Daniel to a bath before taking his remains to the field – several kilometres from the home they were living in at the Gallery Apartments roughly 3km away. Gardai are now speaking to residents of the apartments in the hope that the nearly issued photo of Daniel might spark memories of his last movements. Gardai are understood to be working to establish if the story told to them by the child’s parents stands up.

Tragic Daniel’s disappearance was only discovered when officials from the Department of Social Protection made checks on a social welfare payment related to him and were unable to determine his location earlier this year. The issue was flagged to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, who in turn raised it with gardai. Gardaí are appealing to anyone who has any information in relation to the death of Daniel to contact the investigation team at Swords Garda Station on 01 666 4700, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any member of An Garda Síochána.

Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.