Officers in Ireland believed the killer of beloved farmer Michael Gaine, 56, spent ‘hours’ dismembering the man’s body, possibly with a chainsaw – before pushing it through tiny gaps on his farm
Investigators believe the killer of farmer Michael Gaine cut his body into pieces so small that the remains were able to fit through tiny gaps just a few inches wide.
The 56-year-old was reported missing from his home near Kenmare on March 21 before neighbours alerted Gardaí (Irish police) to human remains they had found while spreading the contents of a slurry tank around his farm last week. Officers believe the murderer spent hours cutting up Mr Gaine’s body before squeezing the remains through tiny gaps between wooden slats that were being used to cover a huge slurry tank on his farm. Sources told the Irish Mirror that investigators also believe the murderer used water and disinfectant to wash away forensic evidence into the same slurry tank on the Carrig East farm – where gardai have reportedly recovered almost all of his remains.
“Almost all of the body has been found now,” a source said. “There may be a tiny amount unrecovered, but in effect the remains have been recovered.”
A significant amount of the remains are believed to have been found in fields across the 1,000 acre farm that had been spread with slurry taken from the tank – while most are thought to have been recovered from the tank. The discoveries were made by specialist gardai from the Technical Bureau and the Water Unit, who combed large areas of land as well as every inch of the large slurry tank.
While they have not yet been formally identified, sources say Gardai are satisfied the remains are that of Mr Gaine, who was last seen in a Centra Shop in Kenmare, around 8kms from his farm, on March 20. The Mirror has contacted Garda HQ for comment.
A spokeswoman told the Irish Mirror: “As these questions would pertain to the specific operational activity undertaken by Gardaí as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, we are not in the position to comment.”
Officers beleive Mr Gaine may have been killed at the farm on the day he was last seen, before his body was moved to the slurry tank, where the killer spent hours dismembering it – possibly with a chainsaw. A number of tools were recovered from the farmland in recent days, including one that appeared to have been hidden. Police have sent these off for forensic testing.
The wooden slats that cover the slurry tank are also being examined to see if any of them show signs of strike marks from a tool like a chainsaw.
Experts reportedly combed through the thick sludge with poles in the search for his body in case he had accidentally fallen in. But the search would not have been able to detect small body parts. A subsequent search of the slurry tank and farm was ordered on Friday after partial human remains were found in at least two fields.
Neighbours who were spreading slurry – taken from a tank on Mr Gaine’s farmyard – made the discovery. Pieces of remains got stuck in the spreader and when the neighbours examined them, they quickly called in gardai.
It led to the arrest of a suspect on Sunday. He was detained on suspicion of murder for 24 hours, but released without charge from Killarney Garda Station late on Monday night. The suspect, who is in his 50s, was known to Mr Gaine. Gardai say the investigation is ongoing.