Dog that found Tina Satchwell used in search for Annie McCarrick

Irish Daily Mirror

14 hours ago

Gardai are using the same sniffer dog that found the remains of Tina Satchwell to search for those of missing Annie McCarrick, it has emerged.
The dog, called Fern, has been lent to the Garda by the PSNI – and is specially trained to indicate the scent or presence of dead bodies.
The dog was brought over the border on Friday morning to search a home in Clondalkin, south west Dublin as part of the hunt for Annie – while detectives continued to question a man on suspicion of the American student's murder.
That suspect, who is a millionaire businessman, walked free from a Dublin Garda Station on Friday afternoon – after officers released him without charge. But sources say the man, who is in his 60s, is still the focus of the Garda murder investigation – and officers will continue to build a case against him.
And PSNI cadaver dog Fern was on Friday playing a key role in that investigation – by using her special skills to examine the house in Clondalkin that was sealed off on Thursday morning, around the same time the suspect was arrested.
Gardai stressed that the current residents of the house were not in any way connected with Ms McCarrick, 26, or the case of her disappearance.
But Fern was brought in to examine if Annie, who was from New York but was living and working in south Dublin when she disappeared in March 1993, was secretly buried there.
'Cadaver dogs are specially trained for just that,' a source said.
'Their task is to indicate the scent of death or the presence of human remains in a location.
'The dog is looking for remains, or signs that remains were once there.'
The house was sealed for a second day on Friday and gardai said the search would continue for several days.
As well as Fern, gardai from the Technical Bureau and officers from Irishtown station – where the probe into the murder of Annie is based - were also carrying out an invasive search of the property.
The gardai were using specialist equipment as part of their search.
But sources told the Mirror that gardai did not expect any major developments in the coming days.
'It is a complex investigation and a slow burner,' a source said.
'This could go on for some time yet.'
The warning came as gardai confirmed that the businessman suspect had been released without charge – and that the investigation would continue.
The force said in a statement: 'Gardaí continue to investigate the disappearance and murder of Annie McCarrick in March 1993.
'The male aged in his 60s who was arrested on the morning of 12th June, 2025 and detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 has been released without charge.
'The searches in relation to this investigation remain ongoing and are being supported by a cadaver dog from an external agency.
'Searches will continue over the weekend. Updates will be provided as appropriate.
'Investigations ongoing.'
Fern is one of three cadaver dogs used by the PSNI that are occasionally lent to the Garda force as they don't have their own.
The same dog indicated the remains of Tina Satchwell, 45, buried under the stairs of her home in Youghal, Co Cork in October 2023 – more than six years after she was last seen alive.
Her husband Richard, 58, murdered her at the house in March 2017 – before burying her there.
He was last month convicted of Tina's murder – and Fern played a key role in bringing him to justice.
Satchwell is now serving a life sentence – and is likely to spend more than 20 years behind bars.
That case was a long running missing person's case – like that of Annie McCarrick and gardai are now determined to also bring the New Yorker's killer to justice.
Thursday's arrest was the first in the long running probe into her disappearance – and comes two years after the case was upgraded from a missing person's hunt to a full blown murder inquiry,
Sources have also told us that the suspect, who is now in his 60s, had an infatuation with Ms McCarrick.
He has been interviewed by gardai at least twice – but as a witness and who had an alibi.
But gardai always viewed him as a person of interest in the case and he became a suspect when the probe was upgraded to murder in March 2023 – the 30th anniversary of her disappearance.
The man knew Annie, had an obsession with her and had even stalked and assaulted her.
As well as searching for Mrs Satchwell and Ms McCarrick, PSNI dog Fern was also used in the initial investigation into March's disappearance of Kerry farmer Michael Gaine, 56.
That case was upgraded to murder in April and last month Mr Gaine's remains were found chopped up in a slurry tank at his farm near Kenmare.
Mr Gaine's former tenant Michael Kelley, 53, was later arrested on suspicion of murder.
Mr Kelley vehemently denies any involvement in Mr Gaine's murder and was released without charge by gardai. That investigation is ongoing.