'We hope the family can finally have clarity': Locals hope for answers on what happened to Tina Satchwell 

LOCALS in Youghal say they are desperate for an end to the six-year endeavour to find out what happened Tina Satchwell following the shocking developments that rocked the community over the last few days.

There was no shortage of onlookers yesterday as assistant State pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster arrived at a house in Grattan St in Youghal connected with the Satchwell murder.

Forensic anthropologist Dr Laureen Buckley also attended the scene.

Ms Satchwell, who was originally from Fermoy, was reported missing 18 months after moving to Youghal.

On Wednesday, the Garda Technical Bureau team, discovered what are believed to be human remains at the property which has been the subject of an intensive forensic search since Tuesday evening.

The remains have yet to be identified.

Some people had travelled long distances to watch the tense scenes unfold outside the residence on Grattan St yesterday.

Last Tuesday saw a man in his 50s arrested on suspicion of murder before being released without charge on Wednesday.

Another arrest took place yesterday — this time at a bus stop across the road from the Walter Raleigh Hotel — 200 yards from Youghal Garda Station.

This arrest also related to a man in his 50s.

The missing person’s case, which was later upgraded to a murder probe, has been a source of curiosity in the town of Youghal for more than half a decade.

Many in the town say they now want to move forward without more uncertainty.

Locals ‘want it to end’

The area was a hive of activity made up of visitors from other towns and members of the press. Some locals confessed to being overwhelmed by the unwavering attention.

John O’Callaghan from Youghal said people want a conclusion.

“There are a lot of curious faces here today,” he said.

“A lot of people are suspicious about what happened. That suspicion has been there all the time. People want it to end. They want a conclusion”.

His daughter Ali O’Callaghan was just 15 years old when she heard the news for the first time.

“It’s scary that this has been going on for six years and that there could be a killer in the town.

“I can still remember the story breaking. I was in school at the time”.

She spared a thought for the family, adding: “This has been all over newspapers and television for years, but they haven’t got anything out of it until now. The fact that the murderer has been getting away with it for this length of time is scary.

“We hope that the family can finally have some clarity”.

The 21-year-old said the community had been in a state of confusion after Tina was reported missing.

“For this to happen in a town where everyone is so close and everybody knows everybody is a big shock,” she said. “It’s not anything you ever assume would happen in your own town.

“There has been a lot of confusion because we haven’t heard anything about this in years. At the beginning she was reported as a missing person, but there was nothing for ages until this”.

Many still remember where they were when they heard the news of Tina’s disappearance, including 24-year-old David Griffin from Youghal.

“It was something we always wondered about,” he said.

“I heard the news on the radio in Supermac’s where I was working.

“You hear of stories like this happening all over the world, but you never think any of them are going to be so close to home”.

Family ‘never gave up on her’

Meanwhile, Candice Walsh, 21, also from Youghal, praised Tina’s family for staying strong during the ordeal.

“Even years after she went missing, people were still saying they wondered what happened to Tina,” she said.

“I know some members of Tina’s family. They were always posting appeals on Facebook to see if anyone had any information. They never gave up on her.

“We always thought about it. We would be very happy to see the family get some kind of closure”.

‘Such a shock’

Peter Rogers, who lives in the UK but has a holiday home nearby, said the developments came as a huge shock to him.

“You don’t think of these things in a small fishing town like Youghal,” he said. “I was really surprised when I saw this happening days ago when they first put the screens up at the house. All I could do was wonder why all the police cars were there.

“Even though someone had gone missing, you wouldn’t necessarily think that anything happened in this house. In a sense, people have forgotten, because this was so many years ago.

“That’s why it came as such a shock”.

It is understood that the search of the property in Grattan St may continue for as long as a week.

A family liaison officer has been assigned to Ms Satchwell’s family.