In court, it was revealed that the body of Tina Satchwell was found wrapped in plastic, dressed in pajamas and a nightgown. Also, she had shards of broken glass on her head and arm. Tina was buried under the stairs at the home she shared with her husband, Richard.
Tina Satchwell Found Wrapped in Plastic
A forensics officer said he grew suspicious when he noticed poured concrete that looked different and newer than other cement on the ground under the stairs during an October 2023 search of the property in Co Cork. Richard Satchwell, 58, is accused of killing his wife sometime between March 19 and 20, 2017. Richard, the husband of Tina Satchwell, who is from Leicester, England, reported his wife missing on May 11, 2017.
He stated that he believed Tina had left their home because their relationship had deteriorated, and she had taken €26,000 in cash, which they had kept in the attic. Detective Garda Karen McCarthy told the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, Ireland, that she took samples from Tina’s body at Cork University. A post-mortem examination of Mrs. Satchwell’s body was taking place there. Detective McCarthy said she recovered Tina’s dressing gown with a belt, underwear, pyjamas, and a purse with a Playboy logo.
According to Detective McCarthy, she said that the purse had a Public Services Card with the name of Tina Satchwell on it. She also discovered a membership card for Rathcormac car boot sale, as well as a Holland & Barrett rewards card. Shards of glass were found on the body of Tina Satchwell, as well as a belly button piercing. DNA testing was conducted using a sample of her head and toenail.
Additionally, the jury heard about when a forensic archaeologist exposed a hand as the stairs of the Satchwell home were dug under. Building contractors assisted and accompanied Detective Garda Brian Barry to help with the October 10, 2023, search of the house. Barry said of the concrete, “It was a newer pour of concrete, which was very suspicious to me and unusual.” The search dog alerted Barry to an area under the stairs, and when he saw the newer concrete, the builders broke it down and found black plastic sheeting about 64cm above ground level.
Shane Curran, retired Detective Sergeant, and former member of the Technical Bureau and crime scene manager of the search said, “When the dog made significant indications in the area, we started to remove items from under the stairs, and when Det Gda Barry saw a different pour of concrete there, that tweaked his interest.” The findings of human remains were confirmed from the dog search. Two archaeologists and a forensic anthropologist helped in recovering the human remains of Tina.
Final Thoughts
Mrs. Satchwell’s remains were buried deep under the concrete. Mr. Satchwell has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Tina Satchwell’s murder and denies the charge. Superintendent Ann Marie Towney said she came to view Richard as a suspect in 2022, and she also said she couldn’t reveal why a previous investigative team didn’t conduct an aggressive search of the couple’s home in 2017. In other crime news, the jury selection was delayed in the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial on day five.
