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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Laura Clements & Florence Freeman

'Wonderful' mum feared to have fallen in sea at beauty spot as husband pays tribute

The husband of a woman who has been missing since November says he wishes he "could tell her one more time how much I loved her."

Dennis Reeves reported his wife, Eryl Reeves, 68, from Wales, as missing on November 29 after returning home from work and not finding her.

That same afternoon, police immediately launched an appeal after they located her car in Pembrokeshire unlocked.

Only three days later, a lifeboat found Eryl's light blue puffa jacket in the water at the base of the cliffs.

Her body has still not been located and hopes of finding her alive are little.

"I just wish I could tell her one more time how much I loved her, and still love her", he said

Eryle was last seen wearing a green jumper, a white vest and dark leggings at the time of her disappearance.

Eryle was last seen wearing a green jumper, a white vest and dark leggings (Media Wales)
Husband, Dennis, says he wishes he could tell her one more time how much I loved her, and still love her (Media Wales)

The couple had been married for 21 years and were said to be in a happy and loving marriage, reports Wales Online.

Dennis claimed it wasn't until Eryl retired from her job with the Hywel Dda health board in December 2019 that her mental health became unmanageable and she went to see her GP.

She was prescribed medication which Dennis said worked for a short while but she eventually stopped taking them and became depressed again and was put on different medication.

He said: "It held the depression at bay for a little bit but she never went back to the woman I married, although I never stopped loving her."

Before her disappearance, the couple had been on a trip to Australia to see Eryl's brother.

Dennis said the trip was done in an attempt to bring joy back into his wife's life.

"She wasn't depressed, but she wasn't happy," he added.

The couple quickly returned on November 17 and then two weeks later, Dennis said he got up as usual and kissed his wife goodbye in the morning before heading to work.

He said: "She was happy, her eyes were bright. You could always tell with Eryl with her eyes. I gave her a hug and a kiss like I did every day. The magic was still there after 21 years. She giggled and I thought she is going to have a good day today."

The couple had arranged another holiday for later that year.

Dennis had phoned Eryl during his lunch break, and she informed him she had been sorting her dresses ready for the trip.

But when Dennis got home just after 5 pm, Eryle wasn't home and she wasn't answering her phone.

"I just sensed she had gone. I just knew it. I rang the police straightaway", he said.

Dyfed-Powys Police were called and opened an investigation.

Dennis had told the officers that she would have gone to St Govan's as she would often head to that spot when she was having a bad day.

Shortly after, a radio call came in to say they'd found her car with the keys still in the ignition, which wasn't out of character for Eryl. Dennis said she often left her keys in the car.

Dennis said he slept on the settee that first night, unable to bear the thought of sleeping in their bed upstairs.

In his heart of hearts, he knew Eryl was gone and he changed the sheets the following day:

"Every morning I would put my hand across to her but she wasn't there," he said.

Dennis had to go to St Govans himself and look for his wife on the Thursday. When he looked around, he could see something in the water.

He called the coastguard and they retrieved Eryl's coat. Dennis added: "That's it, that's the only thing that's been found."

He was even given the use of a plane for free from former colleagues at Fly Wales at Haverfordwest Airport, but despite an extensive search as low as they could fly, they found nothing.

"The conclusion is that she went into the sea," he said.

"Whether she slipped or she had had enough, we won't know. Her body could still just be off St Govans or a beach on Cornwall. There's so much coverage of Nicola Bulley but we have a missing person here too.

"I think I know what happened on the day. When she crashed, she crashed quickly."

Police are keeping an open mind as there were two plates and two forks laid out on the kitchen table for dinner. Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that the case is still a missing person enquiry and has not yet been passed to the coroner.

"Her depression was absolutely heart-breaking to see," Dennis said. "If it was an accident, it was an accident. But 60% of me thinks she had just had enough. I will never know.

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