an investigator in his death and the attempted murder charges on Phyllis for striking Paul Williams and Christine Blair with a car back in 1994. Although not seen on screen, Ronan is mentioned in January 2014 during an episode where Michael Baldwin makes a call to find information about the Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy on Carmine Basco Reception {{quote box |width = 30em |border = 1px |align=right |bgcolor= #FAE7B5 |fontsize = 88% |quote = "We're all about The Young and the Restless'''s newest bad boy, Ronan Malloy — he's a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in one seriously attractive package. And whether he's conspiring with Cricket, kissing Chloe, or fighting Chance in the rain, actor Jeff Branson always makes Ronan cool." |salign = right |source =—Megan Lynn of SoapNet praising the addition of Branson to the cast (2010)}} After the announcement of Branson's casting, Megan Lynn of SoapNet wrote, "Is there a busier casting department than The Young and the Restless's?" After the character's debut, she wrote, "We're so into Nina's long-lost son with a fake identity." Upon Ronan's debut, Sara Bibel of Xfinity immediately speculated that he was the son of Nina Webster (which turned out to be true). Bibel described the potential storyline as an "awesome pay-off" and wrote: "I have absolutely no idea what the writers have planned, but I know what I would like to see. Ronan is perfectly set up to be the character I have been waiting most of my life to meet: Nina’s long lost son." In a separate article, Bibel described Ronan as "far sexier" when comparing him to his brother, Chance. Adam Hughes of Yahoo! TV reported that Branson had become a fan favorite, calling him a "crowd-pleasing detective", and that was the reason for his return in August 2011. He wrote: "Ronan's story is a typically twisted tale of intrigue, misunderstanding, betrayal, and redemption. The basic gist is that he was stolen from his mother, Nina Webster when he was just a baby and promptly disappeared from the show's landscape." Hughes also wrote of Ronan returning to solve Diane Jenkins' (Maura West) murder, saying: "All of this is great theater, and you can bet that producers and writers will milk the story for all its worth, potentially allowing Branson the opportunity to cultivate his character into something more permanent." When Branson's exit in November 2012 was announced,