A man in his 50s arrested for questioning about the suspected murder of Tina Satchwell has been released without charge as gardaí say that their investigation into the woman’s disappearance remains ongoing.
The man had been arrested by detectives at his home in Youghal at 5pm on Tuesday after he returned home from work, and he was taken to Cobh Garda station for questioning about the disappearance of Ms Satchwell on March 20th, 2017.
He was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act which allows gardaí detain suspects for up to 24 hours, but the man declined to suspend his questioning overnight and continued to be interviewed by gardaí throughout the night.
The man’s detention was due to expire at 5pm on Wednesday and a short time later he was released from garda custody with a garda spokesman confirming the release and stating that the garda investigation into Ms Satchwell’s disappearance was continuing.
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The man was collected by an associate at Cobh Garda Station after he was released from garda custody, avoiding media attention.
Ms Satchwell, then aged 45, was reported missing by her husband, Richard Satchwell to gardaí in Fermoy on March 24th 2017 when he told gardaí that he returned from shopping in Dungarvan to their home on Grattan St in Youghal four days earlier to discover Ms Satchwell was gone.
“It was the same as any other morning – she got up and I made her a cup of tea and a slice of toast – it something I will never forget- it wasn’t unusual for her to turn around and ask me to go shopping- I thought nothing of it at the time – when I came back the keys were on the ground.
“When she didn’t come back, I thought she was gone to Fermoy,” said Mr Satchwell in one of several media interviews he later gave where he explained that he had waited four days before reporting his wife missing as he thought she was looking for some time to “get her head straight”.
The decision to arrest the man followed an extensive review of the file on Ms Satchwell’s disappearance by detectives from the Cork North and West Division which began in November 2021 and saw them forensically examine the detailed file.
“The decision to make an arrest stemmed from an overall review of the file – we were aware of some work having been done at the house after Tina Satchwell disappeared so it would have been a factor in our deliberations, but it was only one of several factors in deciding to make an arrest.”
As part of their original investigation, gardaí followed 400 different lines of inquiry, viewed 100 hours of CCTV footage and took 170 witness statements and all these were closely re-examined by the garda review team as they tried to establish what happened to Ms Satchwell.
The review enabled Cork gardaí to make a case at national level for the case to reclassified from a missing person investigation to a murder investigation as officers convinced their superiors that the case merited full murder investigation status and the necessary resources were secured.
The decision to upgrade the case to a murder investigation and provide the necessary funds meant that in August, garda were able to draw an investigation plan to enable them to both arrest the suspect and secure his home as a crime scene to allow a major search operation take place.
That search at the man’s house in Youghal is continuing after the house was declared a crime scene by gardaí so the man will not be able to return there for the foreseeable future as the search is expected to last at least a week.
Gardaí have equipped themselves with chain saws, hedge trimmers and slash hooks to clear undergrowth in an adjacent property that backs on to the suspect’s home and warrants were obtained to allow searches of both that garden property and the suspect’s property.
Gardaí also equipped themselves with kango hammers, con saws, shovels, pickaxes and crowbars to excavate a yard at the rear of the house.
According to a garda source, the operation, in addition to examining both the adjacent garden and the slabbed back yard, will also involve searching a shed at the rear of the house as well as a detailed examination of the house which has undergone some alteration since Ms Satchwell’s disappearance.
Up to 20 gardaí are involved in the operation including a team of four officers from the Garda Technical Bureau in Dublin who have travelled to Youghal while gardaí also engaged two consultant forensic archaeologists to assist with any discoveries or evidence of earth disturbance they find.
Gardaí have also established an Incident Room at Carrigtwohill Garda station from where the investigation is being co-ordinated and it’s understood that garda communications experts based there have also begun examining phone traffic from around the time Ms Satchwell disappeared.
Gardaí have appointed a Family Liaison Officer to assist Ms Satchwell’s family in Fermoy and the UK and they have also issued a renewed appeal for any person who may have information relevant to the investigation to contact Midleton Garda station on (021) 462 1550.
