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A TEAM OF up to 50 officers are combing through woodlands after gardaí received a credible tip-off from a member of the public relating to the disappearance of missing woman Tina Satchwell.
It is nearly a year since Tina (46) disappeared from her home in Youghal, Cork. Numerous appeals to trace her whereabouts have been unsuccessful. Both her family and gardaí have repeatedly expressed their concern over her disappearance.
Yesterday morning, Superintendent Colm Noonan of Midleton Garda Station announced that a large team of officers will carry out a 24/7 operation at the site at Mitchel’s Wood in the Castlemartyr area of Cork – less than 20 minutes from Youghal.
In recent days, gardaí have received information leading them to the parkland. It is believed that a person acting suspiciously was spotted exiting the woods on the night Satchwell was supposed to have gone missing.
Gardaí believe this account to be credible and are now focusing their attention on the Castlemartyr area. Nearby CCTV, where available, is being reviewed. In some cases, the CCTV from the night may have been overwritten by newer files due to the length of time which has elapsed.
While senior gardaí would not comment on the logistics of the search, it is understood officers will first focus on an area of grassland which was closest to where the witness alleges they saw a person leaving the woodlands. This is an area of between four and six acres in size.
The entire search is expected to take between two and three weeks depending on the weather. The witness is understood to have come forward last week but the recent poor weather conditions prevented officers from beginning the search.
Dog units are also being deployed across the 40-acre site.
Superintendent Noonan said: “Today we are conducting a search at Mitchel’s Wood in Bridgetown, Castlemartyr. We are looking for evidence in relation to Tina’s disappearance and we have for the purposes of the search restricted access to this area.
“I would like members of the public who have any information in relation to activity here at Mitchel’s Wood during March 2017 to contact the gardaí.”
We are in regular contact with the Satchwell family and they have been informed of this search operation today. You will appreciate that this is a very stressful time for them and I would urge that they be afforded privacy at this time.
Tina Satchwell was last seen at her home in Youghal on 20 March 2017. She was reported missing four days later by her husband Richard.
Her husband has given a number of interviews to the press since his wife disappeared.
Richard Satchwell said that in the months leading up to her disappearance, she was troubled by something. He said he believes she made the decision to leave.
“She obviously felt she needed a break, to get her thoughts together, to get her head straight,” he told Prime Time last year.
“She knew she was depressed and one thing she always said is she didn’t want to end up on antidepressants. And I personally think she went away to sort her own feelings out.
I know that leading up to her going, the frequency of our long conversations had altered somewhat. The bit I don’t get is her not saying she’s struggling.
Richard Satchwell told RTÉ that he doesn’t believe that his wife is dead and that she must have had help going missing.
Making an appeal for her to come home, Richard said: “I just want you to get in touch, to let people know that you’re alright and if you need time on your own, fair enough.”
Richard Satchwell said that he believes that there is somebody that knows where his wife is.
“She didn’t get up and leave without some sort of help from somebody,” he said.
Somebody had to give her a helping hand somewhere, you can’t just get up and disappear like this with no help from somebody.
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Didn’t think we had woodpeckers in ireland
@liam mc meel: shoot
@Philip Murphy: shoot them or se
@liam mc meel: I’ve been listening to them chipping away at the trees for a good few years now. Sounds like a machine gun being shot in the distance
@michael odwyer: Indeed! They can heard rattling away at the metal tops of telegraph poles along the banks of Lough Erne. Some noise to experience!
@liam mc meel: they are pecking up their passports on the way over.
@liam mc meel: only in last 20 years. They flew in from Wales.
@liam mc meel: It’s amazing, I’ve never seen one here. I was going to say they’re very striking :-D
Ha ha ha HA ha, Ha ha ha HA ha, heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh!
Can’t comment on Finland taking action on illegal immigration. Why?
@paulinlavally@gmail.com: because the government told them not to let you
How about the so called professionals ESB put the electrical infrastructure underground? No let’s blame the woodpecker. And the top brass are earning €100,000s.
@robbie scanlon: How much do you think it would cost to put all the cables underground, billions? Are you willing to pay this extra on your bill? We allow one off developments and this is some of the cost associated with it.
@The next small thing: The cost, the cost, oh what about the cost.
These people are making hundreds of millions per year, let them upgrade their own infrastructure or get out of the game and let someone in that will think of everyone, including our animals.
You wanna punish the animal for getting in the way of capitalism!
@David: Bless your naivety if you think the end customer won’t pay the cost. I never mentioned animals in my comment so I don’t know why you brought that up however seeing as you have then surely you are against one off developments which destroys their habitat.
@robbie scanlon: why not blame the Donald
These woodpeckers are live wires with no forwarding address or postal code for billing purposes
@Jerry Collins: brilliant!!
They’re Welsh, not Poles. [Insert rant of choice about migrants]
Still not as irritating as the noise Mary Toilet makes when she opens her gob
@Peter Murray: and now your having a conversation with yourself
@Peter Murray: jeez Man are you ok??
Are those woodpeckers migrants from Wales.Shouldnt they be in direct provision and be made to apply for asylum
Wood (oops Would) treating telegraph poles with tar deter woodpeckers from damaging them?
@Garreth Byrne:
Not much fun if you are the worker that has to climb that pole after….
@Garreth Byrne: Or maybe change the material of the pole and stop punishing the wood pecker for being a wood pecker?
Nial “Hatch”…….. born for the job:)
@Edward Hughes: Ya gotta wonder if the name provoked his interest.
Amazing to have so many of them they run out of trees. We need more native trees and less conifer plantations…
Everyone says I’m paranoid for starting these Morse code lessons ,but I’m positive those woodpeckers are talking sh,t .
Seriously though, why have shops stopped stocking strawberries? Usually imported from Spain this time of year.
@Fintan Stack: oh Maaann!! Good point even though it’s such a First World problem… I used to grow my own I’d defo recommend it x
@Fintan Stack: parsnips from Spain too
Pesky woodpeckers, coming over here, taking our poles, messing with our trees! Round them all up and send them back! ;- )
@Mick Hanna: lol love it!!
These woodpeckers are live wires
Are these immigrant woodpeckers ?
Woodpeckers will not eat timber treated with creosote
Would these nests effect the overall structure safety and useable of these poles. I wouldn’t think so why not leave be.
Is this English?
Would these nests effect the overall structure safety and useable of these poles. I wouldn’t think so why not leave be.
@J M: “affect”. Apparently they do, since they are causing power outages.
Would these nests effect the overall structure safety and useable of these poles. I wouldn’t think so why not leave be.
Is this meant to be English?
Would they not set up the old poles they had to replace, so the birds can still nest in them? Or add new ones nearby that are shielded & leave the inhabited ones in place?
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