A woman reported missing by her husband wasn't discovered for six years – until police made a bone-chilling find "inside the walls".
Tina Satchwell was reported missing by her husband in 2017, with the couple residing in County Cork, Ireland. The disturbing case has shaken the nation once again after a new documentary titled The Trial of Richard Satchwell premiered on Irish TV's Virgin Media One on Monday night (September 29).
It delivered a devastating breakdown of the events and below we examine the haunting tragedy. Meanwhile, a man accused of killing and dismembering his ex-girlfriend was confronted with evidence from police that revealed a laundry list of incriminating Google searches he made in the days surrounding her disappearance.
Tina's husband, Richard Satchwell, was a truck driver originally from Leicester. He pretended to be baffled by her disappearance when he reported her missing to authorities.
He resided with Tina in Youghal, Cork, and he falsely informed Gardai (Irish police) that €26,000 (approx £22,700) in cash savings had also vanished from the attic, reports the Mirror.
Tina was last spotted in public at a car boot sale on March 19, 2017, but it wasn't until March 24 when Satchwell contacted the police. He alleged he didn't report her missing initially because they had a fight before she allegedly stormed out.
He would later appear on TV declaring his love for Tina and pleading for her return – even claiming that all would be forgiven. Satchwell, breaking down in tears, told the camera: "Tina, come home. There's nobody mad at you. It's killing me love. ".
However, in the documentary, Tina's childhood friend and niece, Sarah Howard, was suspicious from the beginning, for a specific reason.
She confessed: "I found out from my mother that Tina was gone. She mentioned Richard had called her and said Tina was gone. Straight away I went out and got my phone and I rang Tina first – obviously no answer. I rang Richard's phone and he answered.
"When I asked if she brought the dogs or were they at home, he said 'no, the dogs are here'. Straight away I was like 'she would never go without them'. It would be like me walking out on my children. They were her babies. So I was kind of alarmed at that."
Friends painted a dark picture, alleging Satchwell was a domineering husband, and that since Tina moved into their Youghal residence, she had become secluded.
Lorraine Howard, her half-sister, shared with the documentary: "I think she felt she could never, never be free from him.
In May of that year, two months after Tina, 46, was reported missing, police began to suspect foul play.
A warrant was secured to search the property and electronic devices were confiscated. Tragically, the horrifying truth was agonizingly close to the officers, but it wouldn't be revealed until October 2023 when law enforcement revisited the couple's home.
Throughout this ordeal, Satchwell, despite being questioned by police, maintained his innocence, even declaring: "One way or another this will all come out in time and it will prove I did nothing wrong."
However, when police revisited the scene in October 2023, they decided to "went into the walls" of the house. This decision was made after a forensic officer noticed that the poured concrete under the stairs appeared different and newer compared to the surrounding cement.
With the help of a cadaver dog and builders wielding heavy-duty hammers to break through the concrete, they discovered Tina's skeletal remains. They were buried in plastic, hidden in a hole found beneath the stairwell.
Along with her remains, Tina's dressing gown with a belt, pajama top and bottoms, underwear, and purse were also unearthed.
A devastated Lorraine shared with Virgin Media producers: "When I heard all the gory details of what went on and what he did to her I was having nightmares for weeks after that. Everything I thought I knew about him I didn't."
She further added: "Was he thinking about killing Tina for weeks, for months? Nothing would surprise me anymore."
Upon his re-arrest, Satchwell claimed he acted in self-defense, alleging that Tina had charged at him with a chisel. He insisted that she lost her life while he was trying to fend her off.
He confessed to moving the body into a disused freezer before burying her under the stairs and cementing it over.
In a chilling twist, after relocating Tina's body, he would ask Sarah if she wanted the freezer that he initially used to store her friend's body.
Reflecting on this, she said: "That was one of the hardest things of all."
Satchwell faced trial after becoming well-acquainted with the court system, having racked up 14 prior convictions for offenses including shop theft, check fraud, burglary and disturbing the peace.
The Central Criminal Court proceedings stretched across five weeks, with jurors spending nine hours and 28 minutes in deliberation before reaching a unanimous verdict that Satchwell had intended to kill Tina, making him guilty of murder.
Meanwhile, Lorraine stated the family harbors no "ill feelings" toward law enforcement, though she admitted: "I do look back and think that Tina could have been found in months rather than years."
Despite Satchwell receiving a life sentence, the circumstances surrounding Tina's final moments will probably remain forever unknown.
However, her half-sister Lorraine shared with the program: "At the same time I'm kind of relieved I don't know how she died. I don't actually want to know. I think that it's no harm that I don't actually know how she died because there is no good in knowing."
Sarah also commented: "We can't go by what he said, so we will never know the truth. But to be honest I don't want to know what happened because we have heard enough through the trial. We, her family, heard things we should never have had to hear or go through."