Retired Garda Warns of Challenges Posed by Public Interference in Missing Persons Investigations

As the search for 56-year-old Kerry farmer Michael O’Shea enters its 30th day, a former Garda detective has raised concerns about the unintended complications posed by well-meaning—but sometimes misguided—public involvement in missing persons investigations.

Michael O’Shea disappeared from his farm near Molls Gap, just outside Kenmare, nearly a month ago. In the time since, authorities have received a surge of public interest and information, some of which, according to former Garda Alan Bailey, may not always aid the investigation.

Bailey, a retired detective with extensive experience in high-profile missing persons cases, told the Irish Mirror that such investigations often attract a wide range of individuals—from helpful citizens to self-proclaimed psychics and “amateur sleuths.”

“You attract an awful lot of people. Many mean well and genuinely want to help, but you also encounter those who claim to have had visions or dreams about what might have happened,” Bailey explained.

During his tenure with the national missing persons taskforce, Bailey worked on Operation Trace, a major initiative investigating the disappearance of several women. He recalled that the volume of calls from psychics and unverified sources was so high that one member of the team was assigned to manage them full time.

“During Operation Trace, we had to deal with a huge number of psychics,” he said. “One member was kind of full time just to deal with them.”

While this dynamic presents challenges, Bailey acknowledged the difficulty of outright dismissing any information. “The problem is, you can’t ignore someone completely, because there’s always that fear the one person you disregard could be the one holding the key piece of information,” he said.

Despite the distractions such calls can create, Bailey emphasized that the Gardaí do not wish to discourage genuine leads or public engagement. “The last thing you want to do is tell people not to call,” he said. “You have to take it on the chin and accept it for what it is.”

An Garda Síochána continues to urge anyone with information about Michael O’Shea’s disappearance to come forward. Members of the public can contact Killarney Garda Station on 064 667 1160, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.