Garda launch probe into Mike Gaine murder as chief suspect makes official complaint

Sunday World

07-06-2025

This week, Michael Kelley (56) made an official complaint to Fiosrú about his treatment by officers in the investigation, led by Killarney gardaí.
Michael Kelley (right) is a suspect in the murder of Mike Gaine (left), but he has complained to Fiosrú about garda treatment
Two probes have been launched into the garda investigation of the murder of Kerry farmer Mike Gaine.
The Sunday World can reveal that last night the chief suspect for Mr Gaine's murder has made a formal complaint about his treatment by gardaí.
American national Michael Kelley has lodged a complaint with Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, formerly known as the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc).
This is the agency that deals with complaints about the conduct of gardaí from members of the public.
Mr Kelley, a Tralee-based former soldier, has been arrested as a murder suspect, but denies any involvement. He was released without charge.
This week, Mr Kelley (56) made an official complaint to Fiosrú about his treatment by officers in the investigation, led by Killarney gardaí.
When contacted by the Sunday World, a spokeswoman for the ombudsman said she could not comment on the matter.
Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan TD and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
This revelation came just hours after Garda Commissioner Drew Harris confirmed the investigation into the murder of Mr Gaine is under 'peer review'.
He said: 'We're subjecting that to a peer review because I do think there is learning for us around those who would commit crime and then attempt to dispose of the body, and often are successful in disposing of the body.'
It is not known what exactly forms the basis for the complaint made to the watchdog by Mr Kelley.
However, in previous media interviews, Mr Kelley has been critical of the investigation that led to his arrest.
'The only person who can make a legitimate complaint to Fiosrú in matters such as these is the subject of the garda investigation or a witness to what happened,' a source said.
'As we all know, there were no witnesses to the murder of Michael Gaine,' they added.
Mr Kelley, who has denied any involvement in Mr Gaine's murder, was arrested on May 18. That was just over 36 hours after Mr Gaine's body parts were discovered in slurry that was being spread on farmland. He was later released without charge.
Gardaí believe Mr Gaine was dismembered after he was killed, and that the body parts were dumped in a 50,000-gallon slurry tank on the property.
Mike Gaine (left) and Michael Kelley (right)
News in 90 Seconds - 7th June
As part of the investigation, a full background check is being carried out on Mr Kelley, who had been living on Mr Gaine's farm and working as a farmhand for a number of years.
Speaking yesterday in Templemore, Co Tipperary, the Garda Commissioner said there were lessons to be learnt from homicides that begin as a missing person case.
He said gardaí have seen a real pattern around this in recent years, and they want to be sure that they have an investigative mindset in relation to a crime having been committed around a missing person report.
Mr Harris said gardaí have reviewed all missing persons reports and found no other homicide cases.
He also revealed that the investigation into the murder of Tina Satchwell will also be reviewed.
Ms Satchwell's husband Richard was sentenced to life in prison earlier this week for her murder, after he buried her body under the stairs of their home in Youghal, Co Cork.
It is understood the review of the Satchwell case will take the form of a thematic review.
As part of the review, specific aspects of the original investigation will be examined to identify any problems or areas of the inquiry where lessons can be learnt, and improvements made to similar investigations in the future.
Mr Harris said that 'in hindsight', it may have been 'very obvious' where Ms Satchwell's remains were.
He said the 2017 search for Ms Satchwell did 'harvest' a 'huge' amount of information, which was useful in the re-examination of the case. Mr Harris said: 'All of those were crucial. So I would say the initial investigation was hamstrung because of the lack of information in comparison to the later re-examination of this matter.
'There's far more information to hand which gave us real grounds then for actual suspicion and then inquiries that we could lead.
'When you look at hindsight, some of these things can seem very obvious, but in the moment, what was known, what was being said in terms of sighting, what was being said in terms of the victim by her husband – one has to recognise the victimology that was being applied here.
'His suppression of her, the coercive control that obviously she was subject to for many years, her isolation in that particular community, that meant there was very few other people we could speak to [about] what Tina Satchwell's life was like.
'It was a complex investigation. Yes, the house was searched in 2017, forensic scientists also accompanied that search, it was subject to thorough examination and looked for blood splatter, none was found.'
Mr Harris said a report would be compiled and given to Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan on the investigation into Ms Satchwell's disappearance.