Arrested

Gardai quizzing suspect in his 50s with DPP likely to decide today on any charge Remains found at farm are confirmed to be human as murder probe continues

- MICHAEL O'TOOLE

GARDAI will this morning continue to quiz a suspect over the murder of farmer Mike Gaine.

And following the suspect's dramatic arrest in Co Kerry yesterday afternoon, sources revealed that he knew the missing farmer.

"There was a connection between the two men. This was not a stranger murder," a source said.

We have also established that the man, who is in his 50s, has been a person of interest in the case for several weeks - but was made a suspect following the discovery of what are believed to be Mr Gaine's remains on his farm late on Friday afternoon.

And officers took the decision to arrest the man as a result of the grim find.

The suspect, who left the Kenmare area in the last fortnight and was living elsewhere in Kerry, was arrested yesterday afternoon by gardai probing the disappearance and murder of Mr Gaine, a married farmer who was aged 56.

Mr Gaine was last seen at a Centra in Kenmare on March 20 - and his devastated wife Janice reported him missing the next day.

Gardai spent weeks searching for the well-respected farmer, before concluding at the end of last month there was no hope he was alive.

And on April 29, officers formally upgraded his missing person case to a homicide investigation.

That meant officers believed he was either murdered - or died accidentally during a struggle with someone.

STATEMENT

But the suspect who was detained yesterday was being held on suspicion of murder.