Four years on and no answers for Tina Satchwell's family

Tina Satchwell, from Youghal Co Cork, hasn't been seen for four years.

Every time Teresa Dingivan’s phone rings her heart skips a beat, hoping for one second that it will be her beloved sister Tina Satchwell who vanished four years ago today.

Whenever she sees a blonde woman on the street, she snaps to attention, always reflexively primed to find her.

Tina’s family is desperate for information on her whereabouts. 

They are renewing their appeal to find Tina on the fourth anniversary of her disappearance from her home in Youghal, east Cork, on March 20, 2017.

Teresa now believes that someone else must be involved in Tina’s disappearance because her sister would never choose to walk out on her family and all the people who love her:

Someone must have had a hand in her disappearance.

“You can’t just vanish off the face of the earth. She had no bank cards with her, no ID. Someone else was involved in her disappearance.

“My phone’s always with me in case she rings. When you get up in the morning, she’s the first thing you think about. When you go into town and see a blonde woman, you hope for a second that it’s her.

"It’s always on your mind but nothing has changed. It’s like time has stood still these past four years.” 

Tina Satchwell.

Tina’s husband, Richard Satchwell, told the Irish Mirror this week that he thought that Tina needed space and he hoped that she was living a happy life somewhere else.

But Teresa said that Tina would never torment her family by disappearing and not making contact.

“If she was out there living somewhere else, she’d have made contact with us. She wouldn’t leave us worry like this,” Teresa said.

“I’m so sad and confused. My sister would never get up and walk away from the family.

“She wasn’t that kind of person. She was really close to her family.” 

Teresa believes that Tina is still in Ireland. Her documents were found in her home in Youghal and gardaí searched the ports, airport and hours of CCTV there but found no trace of Tina leaving the island.

Teresa has shared new photos of Tina, hoping that they will jog someone’s

Mitchel’s wood in Castlemartyr, Co Cork, where Gardai are conducting a search for the missing Tina Satchwell. Picture: Dan Linehan

memory and lead to new information.

After the remains of a woman were found outside Midleton this year, gardaí ran DNA tests to check if it was Tina. The Dingivans endured a tense wait for the results. 

But gardaí confirmed that the body which was found was not Tina, but was of a deceased woman in her 70s.

“The poor lady. Waiting for the DNA results was very hard but I had hope all the time that it was not Tina. We live in hope,” Teresa said.

“If Tina’s out there or if anyone knows anything about her, we’re here, we’ll support her always, no matter what, just please get in contact, either with her family or with the gardaí.

“Just give us an inkling that she’s OK.” 

When asked if she supports Mr Satchwell’s theory that his wife planned to leave she said:

“You wouldn’t leave without any ID or your wallet. There has been no activity on her bank account."

It’s like she doesn’t exist. 

Tina’s friends told her that she seemed happy before she disappeared and Teresa has found no reason why her sister would chose to vanish from all the people who love her.

“Tina was funny and bubbly and independent. She was kind and considerate.

“She was a really good sister and adored her family.

“The family are upset, heartbroken, by her disappearance.

“All the family doted on her and she doted on us. If she had a problem, she’d have come to the family with it.

“She’s my baby sister. She knows where I work, she knows where I live, she can come to me anytime, I’ll help her in any way I can.” 

Teresa, who lives in the UK, said that she has no definite theories on what could have happened to Tina but she still has hope that her sister is alive.

“As long as we have hope we have something,” she said.

“I’ll never stop looking for her.” 

Tina is described as 5’ 7’’, medium build with blonde shoulder-length hair and blue eyes.