Review of Tina Satchwell case to include if cadaver dog should have been used in 2017 search — Harris 

Drew Harris pointed out that, at the time, the suspicion was that harm had been caused to Ms Satchwell, not that her body was buried in the house, located on Grattan Street, Youghal.

The Garda Commissioner has said suggestions gardaí should have used a cadaver dog — capable of detecting human remains — at the home of Tina Satchwell when she went missing in 2017 will form part of a review he had ordered.

Drew Harris pointed out that, at the time, the suspicion was that harm had been caused to Ms Satchwell, not that her body was buried in the house, located on Grattan Street, Youghal.

Richard Satchwell, 58, was given a life sentence late last month for the murder of his 45-year-old wife in 2017. Her remains were found in October 2023 in a deep grave under the stairs, more than six years after her husband reported her missing.

Over the weekend, justice minister Jim O’Callaghan indicated a cadaver dog should probably have been used in the initial search in 2017.

Speaking on RTÉ's This Week, he said there was only one trained dog on the island of Ireland, used by the PSNI.

Mr O'Callaghan said "it obviously would be preferable if we had a cadaver dog” but said it was up to the commissioner how money should be spent.

Reacting to those remarks, Mr Harris said: “We want to review all those decisions back in 2017 but what I know from the reporting that I’ve seen is that the suspicion was that harm had been caused to Tina Satchwell but there was no suspicion that her body was actually there.” 

He also said cadaver dogs were a “very specialist subset” of police dogs.

“I have to say they are not often required operationally, it's not a usual thing that we need a cadaver dog,” he said.

Mr Harris announced last Friday he had ordered a review into the initial investigation into Ms Satchwell's killing, as well as a review into the investigation into the disappearance of Kerry farmer Michael Gaine, whose remains were found in a slurry pit eight weeks after he vanished.

Mr O’Callaghan requested reports into the cases.