A man who gardaí suspect is linked to the death of Daniel Aruebose, the child who went missing in north Co Dublin more than four years ago, has been arrested in Brazil, pending deportation to Ireland.
In a statement, police in Brazil said the man’s migratory status in Brazil is “irregular”.
The arrest, the statement continued, was the result of international co-operation between Brazil’s federal police in Maranhão in northern Brazil and other law enforcement agencies including An Garda Síochána.
Brazilian police said the deportation was ongoing and “the deportee will be returned to Ireland”.
The man appeared in court briefly on Wednesday when details were provided of his arrest but the issue of his possible deportation was not addressed and he was remanded in remanded in custody.
An Garda Síochána said the force was “aware of the arrest of an Irish citizen in Brazil on immigration related matters only. This is a matter for the Brazilian authorities at this time.”
Earlier this week, gardaí arrested a woman in connection with the investigation into Daniel’s disappearance.
The woman, who was in her 20s, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of murder. She was the first person to be arrested as part of the investigation.
In a statement on Tuesday, gardaí said she had been released without charge pending a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions, and investigations are ongoing.
Gardaí upgraded the investigation to homicide earlier this month.
They believe the boy was killed in 2021, when aged three, and his remains were buried in open ground just outside Donabate, north Co Dublin.
Concern for Daniel’s wellbeing first emerged in August. Officials carrying out checks on a social welfare payment linked to him could find no evidence of his whereabouts or that he was alive.
The officials took their concerns to Tusla, the child and family agency, which escalated the matter to the Garda. An investigation was started and two key witnesses told gardaí Daniel had been dead for more than four years and his remains buried just outside Donabate.
One of the two took gardaí to a location off Portrane Road and pointed out what they said was Daniel’s burial ground. Though the information was not completely accurate, gardaí discovered the boy’s remains in September very close by after an operation lasting more than two weeks.
Statements have been taken from a number of people who knew the boy and other people he was with around the time of his death, leading to concern he may have been subject to mistreatment or neglect.
Two key witnesses have told gardaí Daniel died from natural, though unexplained, causes and after their efforts to revive him failed, they claimed they panicked and secretly buried his body. Their accounts are understood to have, at times, not aligned.