Police in Ireland are questioning a man after discovering human remains in a slurry spread across farm fields.
A man is being questioned on suspicion of the murder of Mike Gaine, a farmer from the area who has been missing since March 21, the Irish Times reported. The newspaper reported that the investigation progressed rapidly after human remains were found in the slurry that was spread over Gaine's farm.
Slurry is created by combining manure, animal waste and other organic material. It can be used as a liquid fertilizer on soil.
Police launched an extensive search for Gaine following his late March disappearance. The investigation had involved interviewing over a 100 witnesses and reviewing more than 1,500 hours of CCTV footage.
The Irish Times noted that the man being held knew Gaine. He was interviewed during the initial missing person's investigation and then interviewed again when police upgraded the case to a homicide.
The newspaper quoted law enforcement as saying official charges could take some time because the case was "complex." Police suspect that Gaine was murdered, dismembered, and dumped in the slurry tank. The discovery of the body was random as people at the property took slurry from the tank as part of the course of their work and discovered the body parts.
Gaine was described as a popular sheep farmer, and police suspect he was murdered by a man he knew due to a personal dispute.
