GARDAÍ are reported to be probing whether one of the parents of the unidentified `Kerry baby' fled the area and is living in Northern Ireland.
Detectives are expected to extend their DNA hunt for clues identifying `Baby John' to the UK's DNA database, with particular focus on Northern Ireland, according to the Irish Independent.
It is understood that "a significant number of people moved between Kerry and Northern Ireland in the mid 1980s" - the time when the infant was murdered a short time after birth.
There are suggestions that one or both parents may no longer be in Co Kerry.
Ireland has only 15,000 DNA samples on its database, compared to around six million samples in the UK, and an examination of Irish samples have filed to find a match to that taken from the baby murdered in 1984.
Baby John was thought to be around five days old when he was killed, suffering 28 stab wounds and a devastating spinal injury at the hands of an unknown assailant.
His body was found by a jogger at White Strand beach, Cahersiveen, on April 14, 1984.
The tissue sample was taken during the original post-mortem examination of the infant and a full DNA was recently obtained by a forensic team.
Any relatives of the father or mother in the Northern Ireland, England, Scotland or Wales system would be identified by such a trawl.
Advances in DNA sampling means sixth and seventh cousins can be now detected.
Baby John was one of two babies found dead in the area of south Kerry within weeks of each other.
The mother, who concealed the second baby, Joanne Hayes, was arrested and charged with the murder of Baby John, with gardai at the time believing she was the mother of both.
The force dropped the charges four years later and a tribunal of inquiry was launched.
It criticised Garda conduct of the investigations, but concluded Ms Hayes had precipitated the death of her baby - something she disputes, with no charges ever pressed.
Last month, a review of the DNA evidence confirmed that she was not the mother of Baby John, with Acting Garda Commissioner Dónall Ó Cualáin offering a full verbal and written apology to Joanne Hayes, followed by an apology from the Minister for Justice, Charlie Flanagan and ,Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.
A new investigation was launched at that time.
