In the rolling hills of Kenmare, Co. Kerry, a gruesome mystery is gripping Ireland: the suspected murder and dismemberment of local farmer Michael Gaine. But the prime suspect 53-year-old former US soldier Michael Kelley says it’s all a twisted mistake.
Speaking defiantly from Tralee, Kelley calls the Gardaí’s chainsaw theory “preposterous”, mocking the idea as “Texas Chainsaw Massacre bulls**t.” Arrested but not charged, he claims he’s being framed because he happened to live and work on Gaine’s land when the farmer vanished on March 20th.
Gardaí recently confirmed human remains found in slurry tanks on the property belong to Gaine. Kelley scoffs: “Where’s your glossy photo? Where’s the evidence?” He insists he’s seen no proof and says if the police really had something, “they would’ve charged me.”
In a bizarre twist, Kelley says he watched the massive search unfold while still working the land clearing brush with an axe as drones and metal detectors swept the area. He says he even pointed Gardaí toward a pit Gaine once used to burn garbage under the cover of darkness.
The chainsaw? Kelley admits to using it but says it was Gaine’s, and there’s no DNA tying him to anything.
“I’m the patsy,” he claims. “They’re trying to fit me up.”
With remains confirmed but no formal charges filed, the case is veering into stranger-than-fiction territory. Is Kelley the victim of a rushed investigation or the architect of a rural nightmare?
The truth may lie buried, but it’s getting harder to ignore.
