Officers have launched a probe into allegations that a child has been killed and secretly buried.
Detectives in north County Dublin, Ireland, cordoned off a house over the weekend as part of the inquiry, following a woman's claim that her ex-partner had murdered their child.
It is understood that the boy has been missing for several years and would be approximately eight years old if he were alive today.
However, sources informed the Irish Mirror that gardai believe the boy is deceased.
The woman made these claims during an interview with gardai from Swords Station in north Dublin about her missing child on Sunday.
The sources also stated that gardai are treating the woman's allegations as credible.
It has been established that gardai launched an urgent investigation after being contacted by officials from Tusla - Child and Family Agency.
In an unusual turn of events, gardai were notified about the case on Friday - exactly one year after they received their first missing person's report about Kyran Durnin, reports Dublin Live.
A house in north Dublin was later declared a crime scene by officers who have been searching it and other locations over the past few days.
Sources indicate that suspicions were initially raised by workers from the Department of Social Protection who had interacted with the child's mother, believed to be originally from Africa.
The woman was attempting to claim child benefit for her children, but failed to provide any supporting documents such as school attendance records.
This led to the involvement of Tusla, who subsequently contacted the gardai in Swords on Friday.
This sparked a swift Garda investigation and the house was cordoned off over the weekend.
The mother was interviewed by officers on Sunday, where she reportedly told detectives that her ex-partner had killed the child, who is believed to have last been seen several years ago.
A Garda spokeswoman stated: "Gardaí are currently carrying out a number of operational enquiries in North County Dublin. An Garda Síochána is not in a position to provide any further detail at this time."
This case bears a chilling resemblance to that of little Kyran Durnin, who was reported missing in his hometown of Drogheda, Co Louth on Friday, August 30 last year. His case was escalated to a murder investigation in October last year.
Officers suspect he may have been dead for several years, with the last confirmed sighting of the boy - who would be nine if he were alive today - in mid 2022.
Two individuals, a man and a woman, have been arrested as part of the investigation into Kyran's disappearance. The man, Anthony Maguire, 36, took his own life days after being released without charge.
The woman has not been charged and investigations are ongoing.