Gardai upgrade Michael Gaine case to homicide

Farmer probe changed over 'entirety of information'

- BY DANNY DE VAAL

GARDAI probing the disappearance of Kerry farmer Michael Gaine upgraded the case to a homicide investigation last night.

The Kenmare man, 56, was reported missing on Friday, March 21 and was last seen on the day beforehand on March 20 at his local Centra buying phone credit at 9:48am.

No trace of Michael, who was last seen wearing an orange woolly hat, black fleece, blue jeans, and black boots, has been found since his wallet and phone were discovered inside his bronze RAV4 SUV.

Since then, Gardai have been working on the assumption, based on evidence gathered to date, that the missing man drove his vehicle back to his farm just off the N71 at Carrig East - where he then vanished.