Suspected body parts have been discovered in a slurry tank on the farm of missing Co Kerry farmer Michael Gaine, The Irish Times understands.
A crime scene has been declared and a Garda forensic team is due to carry out an extensive examination of the scene throughout Saturday.
The suspected body parts that have been discovered must be tested to determine if they are those of Mr Gaine.
Investigators have requested the services of the State Pathologist’s Office, including a forensic anthropologist, to examine the remains.
Marriage equality a decade on: ‘Things have gone backwards’
Rhasidat Adeleke on life in the spotlight: ‘How do people like Beyoncé handle this? This is crazy!’
Dara Ó Briain: ‘I always felt like the dumbest, ugliest person in the class’
Michael Gaine: Suspected body parts found in search for missing Kerry farmer
Gardaí were alerted to the find by a family member and two neighbours after they began spreading slurry that they had drained from a tank on Mr Gaine’s farm outside Kenmare.
The discovery was made by the family member and neighbours at around 6pm on Friday, and gardaí immediately declared the slurry tank and the field where the parts were found to be a crime scene.
Gardaí have also requested the services of the Garda Technical Bureau in Dublin and it is understood that forensic examiners are currently on their way to the remote mountain farm outside Kenmare.
Mr Gaine’s 1,000-acre farm straddles the Ring of Kerry Road and it is understood the sealed off field is located near Mr Gaine’s farmyard at Carrig East, six kilometres northwest of Kenmare town.
Mr Gaine (56) was last seen in Kenmare on Thursday, March 20th and was reported missing the following day. His bronze Toyota Rav4 was discovered in his farmyard – off the N71 at Carrig East – with his wallet and phone inside.
His disappearance was so sudden and out of character that gardaí suspected foul play from the outset.
Mr Gaine visited a Centra shop in Kenmare on the morning of his disappearance and it is assumed, though unproven, that he drove his car from Kenmare to his farm yard.
A slurry pit at the farm yard was searched due to the possibility that he could have fallen in, or had his body concealed there, but nothing was found. Extensive searches were carried out on surrounding lands by members of the Defence Forces and Kerry Mountain Rescue, as well as volunteers, but no trace of Mr Gaine was found.
On April 29th, almost six weeks after Mr Gaine vanished, the case was upgraded to a homicide inquiry. Gardaí said that “based on the entirety of the information available to the investigation team” a decision had been made to reclassify the missing person inquiry.
