A former United States soldier has been charged in connection with the death of a farmer whose dismembered remains were discovered in a slurry tank. Michael Kelley, aged 54, is due to appear before a court in Tralee, County Kerry, on Wednesday afternoon.
Michael Gaine, a 56-year-old sheep and cattle farmer, vanished from his home near Kenmare on 21 March 2025. Almost two months later, in May, partial human remains were found in a slurry tank on his farm in Carrig East and later identified as those of Mr Gaine.
Kelley, originally from Maine in the US, was arrested for the second time on suspicion of murder early on Tuesday at his home in Tralee. He was subsequently charged while in custody at Castleisland Garda Station.
Gardai had initially treated the disappearance as a missing person case before upgrading it to a homicide investigation on 29 April. Kelley was first arrested on 18 May 2025 but was released without charge the following day.
In a statement, Gardai confirmed that a man in his 50s had been arrested and charged, and that the investigation, led by the Serious Crime Unit Kerry Division with support from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, remains ongoing.
