New phase of operation as area of interest expands

GARDAI are to bring in heavy machinery as early as today to help them search a sprawling site in north Dublin for the little boy they believe is buried there.

- BY MICHAEL O'TOOLE Crime and Defence Editor

Sources have confirmed to us that officers are set to use a digger to scrape away layers of soil at the search of an expanse of land on the outskirts of Donabate where officers have been told the boy's remains lie.

Officers hope to finish the search by the start of next week, depending on the weather.

Today will be day five of the search - which started on Tuesday after officers sealed off the area on the Portrane Road on Monday evening.

A fingertip search has been carried out by specialist gardai - and a cadaver dog was brought back to the scene yesterday, but now the heavy machinery is also being deployed.

The dog, which has been speciallytrained to detect human remains as well as the scent of death, was first brought to the scene on Tuesday.