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Gardai believe Michael Gaine was chopped up and dumped in slurry tank as suspected body parts found

Gardai believe missing farmer Michael Gaine was chopped up and dumped in a slurry tank - with the tank then emptied and spread across several fields.

It comes as a garda forensic team was combing fields near Mr Gaine's home in Kenmare, Co Kerry, yesterday following the discovery of human tissue in a field nearby.

Several small body parts have been found in a number of fields over the past 24 hours - which investigators believe are the remains of Michael Gaine.

It's understood that officers have now come to the conclusion that the 58-year-old sheep farmer, who vanished without trace eight weeks ago and is suspected to have been killed, was chopped up and dumped in a slurry tank.

"The belief now is that this tank was then emptied and spread across several fields," a source said.

"All of these fields are being checked and a number of other body parts have been discovered."

Gardai are now awaiting tests to confirm if the remains found are those of the missing Kerry farmer.

The area being searched is understood to be in a number of fields on Mr Gaine's land, close to the farmyard at Carraig East, around 6km from Kenmare. The farm straddles the Ring of Kerry road, between Kenmare and Moll's Gap.

The State Pathologist Dr Sally Anne Collis also joined members of the Garda Technical Bureau at Mr Gaine's farmyard today. She was joined at the scene by Forensic Anthropologist Laureen Buckley.

Several vehicles entered the farmyard just after 2pm.

Gardaí confirmed that an area of land, close to Mr Gaine's farmyard, has been designated as a crime scene and have sealed off an area close to the farmyard where he went missing in Kenmare eight weeks ago.

Mr Gaine was formally reported missing on March 21. For six weeks, his disappearance was treated by gardaí as a missing person's case.

However, on April 29, the investigation was reclassified as a homicide.

The re-classification of the investigation followed an assessment by gardaí heading up the investigation that Mr Gaine was dead and that he died by homicide.

At the time gardaí announced the re-classification of their investigation, they said they had completed 320 individual enquiries or "jobs"; almost 130 witness statements had been taken; around 2,200 hours of CCTV and dashcam footage had been recovered; and hundreds of acres of farmland had been searched, by trained search teams, using drones and by specially-trained search and rescue dogs and cadaver dogs.

In a statement issued on Saturday morning, gardaí said: "Gardaí at Killarney Garda Station continue to investigate the disappearance and homicide of Michael Gaine (56), who was reported missing from his home near Kenmare, Co Kerry, on Friday, March 21, 2025.

"As part of the investigation, operations resumed at lands in Carrig East, Kenmare, Co Kerry on Friday evening and a crime scene has now been declared.

"The Garda Technical Bureau and the Office of the State Pathologist have been requested to attend the scene.

"Pending examinations by both the Garda Technical Bureau and the State Pathologist, An Garda Síochána is not in a position to provide further information at this time.

"The investigation is ongoing and further updates will follow," the garda spokesperson said.