"Frustration and anger" boils over among locals over Gardaí’s handling of Michael Gaine case

Locals and friends of farmer Michael Gaine have been left ‘deeply angered and frustrated’ over the handling of the missing man’s case, Extra.ie has learned.

The suspected remains of the 56-year-old sheep farmer were discovered after machinery was used to spread slurry on his land late last week.

This has resulted in new searches being carried out by specialist military personnel at the property just outside Kenmare in Co Kerry.

The discovery of the body parts resulted in the arrest of a man who was known to Mr. Gaine. However, that man was released without charge on Monday night, and the investigation remains ongoing.

One of the areas sealed off for further examination was just metres away from where Mr. Gaine’s Rav4 SUV was discovered in the immediate aftermath of his disappearance.

Friends and extended family members have been left angered by how long it took to discover his remains, security sources told Extra.ie, with many now claiming that the popular farmer should have been discovered sooner.

"That’s a fair assessment," said one well-informed source. "These people are angry. They are his friends, extended family, people who have known him for decades, so gardaí appreciate that there is a lot of emotion on that.

"The gardaí aren’t happy either. It’s not like they wanted this. In an ideal world, Mike would have been found safe and well, but this is not what happened.

"It started as a missing person’s investigation, then it was upgraded to a homicide, and then he was found. The slurry tanks were always mentioned as being important places to search and they were actually searched at the end of March.

"Were they all fully searched or was there something overlooked? I think these are completely fair questions for people to be asking.

"But gardaí are still working their backsides off on this. Something that’s been said a couple of times is that they don’t want this to end up being something like the Sophie Toscan du Plantier investigation."

As a result of finding the body parts, specialist military members have been drafted in to once again search through the slurry tanks. The gear the military uses is of a higher quality, meaning members of the Defence Forces will be safe from exposure to the toxic gases and materials in the tanks.

The man released without charge on Monday night is still a suspect in Mr. Gaine’s death, the same sources stressed.

However, officers are not "resting on this one theory."

Another source told Extra.ie: "When Michael’s body was discovered, this effectively forced them into an arrest. They couldn’t take a chance of not detaining someone they believed to be involved and risk letting him get away. That would have been a disaster."

Mr. Gaine, a sheep farmer with land near Kenmare, in Co Kerry, was reported missing from his home over eight weeks ago.

On Saturday, partial remains were found at Mr. Gaine’s farm in Carrig East, and a crime scene was declared as gardaí searched for further remains.

Gardaí believe Mr. Gaine was killed and his dismembered body dumped in a slurry tank on his land. The body parts were discovered in a field beside the farmyard containing a slurry tank and where the missing farmer’s car had been located on March 20.

The arrested man was always a suspect in the case, multiple informed sources said.

"There are many theories going around, as you can imagine, as to why Mike was killed," said the source. "But one theory gardaí are looking at is that Mike and this man had a falling out over some land."

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CCTV footage of Michael Gaine in a Centra in Kenmare, Co Kerry on March 20, 2025. (An Garda Siochana)

For six weeks, Mr. Gaine’s disappearance was treated by gardaí as a missing person’s case. But on April 29, the investigation was reclassified as a homicide, giving gardaí increased investigative powers.

The new developments in the case come two weeks after his wife, Janice, appealed for the public’s help in solving the mystery of her husband’s disappearance.

In an emotional statement, Janice said: "This whole thing has been devastating. He loved his home, he loved his farm, he loved farming. He loved his animals; he loved rallying.

"He had lots of friends, he was a very popular guy, and his disappearance is totally out of character. Well, we knew that from day one.

"If there is anybody that has any information about Michael, do please come forward and talk to the gardaí. We just want Michael to come home."

*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.