The horrific discovery of Tina Satchwell’s body buried beneath the stairs of her own home brought her six-year disappearance to a tragic and shocking conclusion, a court has heard.
Builders helping police search the property in Youghal, Co Cork, uncovered what turned out to be Tina’s body in October last year. She had been wrapped in black plastic, still wearing her nightclothes, with shards of glass embedded in her head and arm. Officers immediately became suspicious when they spotted freshly poured concrete that didn’t match the rest of the floor, reported the Mirror.
The 45-year-old had been missing since March 2017. Her husband, Richard Satchwell, now 58, who had originally told police she vanished with €26,000 from their attic, is accused of her murder. He denies the charge.
Detective Garda Brian Barry told the court how he and contractors were drawn to the area under the stairs, especially after a sniffer dog, Fern, flagged the spot. “It looked suspicious,” he said, describing the poorly built wall in the sitting room and the patch of newer concrete under the stairs. When the builders broke through the surface, they hit black plastic about 64cm down — a moment that brought everything to a chilling standstill.
Forensic archaeologists were called in, and the excavation uncovered Tina’s remains at around 84cm deep. Among the disturbing details, her dressing gown was tied with a belt, and her purse, still in the pocket, contained her ID and personal cards. A belly button piercing was also recovered, and samples of her hair and toenails were taken for DNA testing.
Senior forensic consultant Dr Niamh McCullagh led the excavation and confirmed human interference in the soil. She noted traces of white plastic strips and even a yellow plastic bread bag tag with a best-before date of March 3, 2017. The grave was just over a metre deep and shaped with a rounded edge.
The court heard that Dr McCullagh had reviewed the case in 2022 and submitted a detailed report before the search resumed. Her research into domestic homicide revealed a high frequency of crime staging, such as false missing persons reports, and that victims’ bodies are often found close to home.
In Tina’s case, she told the court three possible scenarios had been considered, but all pointed to the likelihood that she died at home.
The trial continues, but for many, the horror of Tina’s fate — buried metres from where she lived — has already left a lasting impression.
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