Tina Satchwell disappearance: gardaí access medical records

Gardaí investigating the disappearance of Cork woman Tina Satchwell have obtained her medical medical records to see if any detail could explain her disappearance exactly a year ago today.

Ms Satchwell (45) was reported missing to Fermoy gardaí by her husband, Richard Satchwell (52) when he went to the north Cork town on March 24th 2017 and discovered she was not with family members there.

Mr Satchwell said that his wife had disappeared from their home at Grattan Street in Youghal in east Cork on March 20th. But he decided not to report it to gardaí for four days because he wanted to give her time to "get her head straight".

Mr Satchwell said in several media interviews over the past fortnight he believed his wife was suffering from depression as a result of several events which happened to her family in Fermoy. And he suggested mental health problems may have played a part in her disappearance.

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The Irish Times has learned that investigating officers have spoken to Ms Satchwell's GP in her native Fermoy and obtained her medical notes. But it's not believed the notes have proven of any great assistance in trying to establish what happened to her.

Meanwhile, Mr Satchwell has told TV3 News that the past year has been "absolute hell". And he has put his life on hold waiting for some news of his wife whom he believes is alive and will one day return home.

“As far as functioning goes, I don’t. I just get up and take the dogs for a walk, feed them . . . other than that, there’s not much happening in my life,” said Mr Satchwell.

“Every morning, I wake up . . . waiting for the door to go or the phone to go so that’s a daily thing, even now,” he said. He added that he does not “have a life since she’s been gone”.

After recounting again how he returned home from a shopping trip to Dungarvan only to find his wife and €26,000 in cash missing, Mr Satchwell was clear on how he was feeling on the anniversary of his wife's disappearance.

“Hope, sadness and hope; that’s all I have. I don’t have anything else, so that’s why I get up every morning. I say ‘good morning’ to her photo that I’ve now got in the sitting room. That might sound crazy but I do, that’s what I’m left with at the minute until I believe she comes back one day.”

And he again moved to reassure his wife that he would welcome her back without recrimination despite admitting in previous interviews that he is in a difficult and dark place at the moment.

“My message to Tina: my arms are here, they’re open. Nothing’s changed as far I’m concerned, she can just come back, practically straight back into life the way it was. And if there’s anything there she wants to alter, we can work on . . . it. Basically I can’t say much more.”

Gardaí have appealed to anyone who may have any information on Ms Satchwell's disappearance to contact them at an incident room at Midleton Garda station on 021-4621550 or the Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800-666111.