A post-mortem on the child's skeletal remains discovered in a shallow grave in north County Dublin- believed to be of toddler Daniel Aruebose - will take place today at Dublin city Morgue, gardai have confirmed.
This comes as we can reveal a newly purchased mobile phone belonging to the mother of toddler Daniel Aruebose has been seized by gardaí in recent days as part of the ongoing investigation into the child's death.
The grim discovery of skeletal remains were made on Wednesday just before lunchtime by officers from the Gardai's DMR North Divisional Search Team during the near three-week search of marshy wasteland along the Portrane Road in Donabate.
"The remains were removed to the city Morgue late on Thursday evening, just before 9pm," a spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said in a statement to the Irish Mirror. "The post-mortem will take place today."
The secret burial site where the remains were discovered is about 4km from the apartment little Daniel lived in with his parents at The Gallery in Donabate.
Formal identification of the remains will also be carried out including DNA analysis and the post-mortem, due to take place today, will try to determine any cause of death.
The results of the post-mortem will determine the course of the investigation.
Investigators have also taken possession of her previous handset, and both devices are now undergoing detailed forensic examination by specialist officers.
The two phones seized are being analysed as part of the ongoing inquiry, with officers seeking to establish whether they contain information relevant to the investigation.
Investigators are understood to be checking for calls, messages, internet activity and location data that could shed light on the mother's movements and communications in the period before and after the death of Daniel and his secret burial in the wasteland.
"The decision to seize both phones is seen as a routine but significant step in the inquiry, as gardaí continue to piece together a clear timeline of events and establish whether any further evidence can be uncovered through digital analysis," sources told Irish Mirror.
The major garda hunt for three-year-old Daniel - who has not been seen in four years and would be around seven years old now - commenced on September 2 after the site on the Portrane Road in Donabate was cordoned off the previous day by officers. The grim discovery of the skeletal remains of a child was made on Wednesday, September 17.
Earlier sources say Daniel's parents continue to maintain that he passed away in his sleep from natural causes, that they discovered him dead in his bed and panicked and secretly buried him by digging a shallow grave by hand in the marshy lands nearby.
Last week we revealed how the little boy was changed from his pyjamas into his tracksuit after he died and was secretly buried with his favourite teddy bear that was given to him by his foster parents while they cared for him during his early life.
The little boy was given up for adoption by his parents but they later changed their mind once they were allocated an apartment by Fingal County Council. The child was then given back to them by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.
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