Beneath the Stairs

IN 2017, TINA SATCHWELL VANISHED FROM HER COUNTY CORK HOME. HER HUSBAND RICHARD CLAIMED THAT SHE HAD TAKEN THEIR SAVINGS AND LEFT OF HER OWN ACCORD.
But as questions mounted, suspicion grew. Why did her husband wait four days before reporting her missing? And would Tina have left behind her purse, her phone and, most importantly, her beloved pets?
Here, with chilling detail and exclusive insights, journalists Ralph Riegel and Paul Byrne peel back the layers of a case that has gripped Ireland for over eight years.
From how Tina and Richard met just days after she moved to the UK as a vulnerable seventeen-year-old, to the search of the house that would lead to Richard Satchwell's downfall, Beneath the Stairs traces the cold-blooded deception of a man, bent on control, who lied to hide the truth while living above his wife's hidden grave.
Amid the darkness, a picture emerges of a kind and open-hearted woman, cherished by a family who never gave up hope that, one day, they would get justice for their beloved Tina.

Ralph Riegel is the southern correspondent for The Irish Independent, Evening Herald, Sunday Independent and other MediaHuis titles. A graduate of DIT-Rathmines & DIT Aungier Street, his work has also appeared with Netflix, CBS, The Daily Telegraph and The Belfast Telegraph. He is a regular contributor to RTE, BBC, NewsTalk, VirginMedia as well as numerous local radio stations. He is the author of eleven books, six of which were bestsellers. He is also a former external examiner for the MA Journalism course at MTU in Cork. Married with three children, he lives in Cork and has an avid interest in sport, music and history.