Gardaí investigating the death of Kerry farmer Michael Gaine, whose suspected partial remains were found in slurry being spread onto fields, have arrested a man in his 50s on suspicion of murder.
The suspect was being questioned by detectives on Sunday evening, some 48 hours after the discovery of partial remains led to a major breakthrough in the case.
“The male is being detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in Kerry Division,” the Garda said in a statement, adding members of the force were continuing to “carry out searches and technical examinations at lands at Carrig East, Kenmare, Co Kerry”.
“The family of Michael Gaine have been informed of this arrest and An Garda Síochána continue to support Michael’s family through a family liaison officer. The family have requested privacy at this time.”
On Sunday, Garda teams were carrying out searches at the Gaine farm and farm yard while excavations were under way to effectively demolish a shed where the slurry tanks are located under wooden boards.
Gardaí are working on the theory that whomever killed Mr Gaine then hid his remains into a slurry tank on his farm just outside Kenmare. Detectives believe Mr Gaine has been dead since March 21st, the day he was last seen alive.
The alarm about the discovery of remains was raised on Friday evening after people spreading slurry in a field on the Gaine farm discovered the suspected human remains.
When gardaí arrived into the area on Friday evening the field was sealed off as a crime scene, as was the slurry pit. DNA testing is required before the remains could be confirmed as those of Mr Gaine, who vanished two months ago.
However, gardaí now suspect the popular sheep farmer was killed, and possibly dismembered, before his remains were concealed in the slurry tank on his farm. When slurry was drained from the tank for spreading on the field, some of the remains passed out of the tank and were spotted when the slurry was spread in the field.
Gardaí were alerted to the find by a family member and two neighbours after they began spreading the slurry they had drained from the tank as they were working on the farm on Friday evening.
The State Pathologist arrived at the scene at Carrig East near Kenmare, along with officers from the Garda Technical Bureau and detectives, late on Saturday afternoon.
Shortly before 5pm, Dr Sally Anne Collis and accompanying gardaí made their way to the large slatted cattle shed on the property.
Earlier on Saturday afternoon, a large slurry agitator - a large metal mixer which is used to break up solids in slurry tanks so they can be spread - along with the pump and gutter unit into the slatted unit, appeared to be the focus of examination by the pathologist and gardaí. Slurry spreaders were also being examined.
A line of uniformed gardaí were also methodically searching one of the fields which had been declared a crime scene using metal pickers. A number of yellow evidence markers had been placed at various locations in the fields.
