MISSING: Trevaline Evans

The gist

Trevaline Evans disappeared on June 16, 1990, from her shop in Langoflin, North Wales, leaving behind her purse, keys, and jacket with a "Back in two minutes" sign on the door. Police conducted one of the most extensive missing persons searches in Northern Welsh history, dragging rivers and searching mines, but found nothing. The case grew stranger over decades as theories multiplied: Did she run away? Was she killed by a mystery man who spent days with her before her disappearance? Was her husband Richard involved? In 2019, two brothers—Andrew and Lee Sutton—claimed to have photographed human remains under the Rudland Golf Club floorboards using a fiber-optic camera, but police allegedly found "nothing" during their excavation.

Key takeaways

• The last confirmed sighting: Trevaline was seen at 12:40 PM on June 16 locking her shop and heading toward town; she left behind a banana at her shop, though the apple she purchased is unaccounted for, casting doubt on theories she returned

• The mystery man: Multiple witnesses reported seeing Trevaline with a smartly dressed older man in a navy suit with briefcase over Friday and Saturday before her disappearance, but he was never identified; police later dismissed the sketch as inaccurate without explanation in 2001

• Theory shift: A woman interviewed in "In the Footsteps of Killers" suggested the "mystery man" was actually Trevaline's brother Phil, who traveled frequently and was in town from Switzerland that week, though this raises questions about why Phil never confirmed his sightings with police

• Richard's suspicious behavior: In 2001, police arrested Trevaline's husband Richard but released him the same day without charges; an ex-girlfriend of Phil's claimed Richard removed carpet and furniture from their home shortly after Trevaline disappeared and showed no emotion when discussing her

• The Sutton brothers' discovery: In March 2019, two brothers found fiber-optic camera images apparently showing a skeletal remains under the Rudland Golf Club floor—the same area where Richard allegedly worked and drank, and where people reported a terrible smell in summer 1990

• The alleged cover-up: When police excavated the floor on March 19, 2019, the brothers claim the body had been removed; police officially found "nothing," and a formal complaint against the police was rejected as an internal matter

• The mysterious plaques: Between 2021, handmade memorial plaques appeared on public benches near Rudland, claiming Trevaline was "found" at the golf club on 3/14/2019 and "removed" on 3/19/2019; no one claimed responsibility, though the brothers suspect it was a police whistleblower

• The inheritance secret: A documentary revealed Trevaline had allegedly received a £10,000 inheritance from a man she was having an affair with, information Richard would likely have known, potentially providing motive if he discovered infidelity

Notable quotes

"Within twenty seconds, we're looking at a dead body right in front of us in exactly the place where the bad smell was coming from. There she is. I could see a face staring at me, with what appeared to be a hole in the side of the skull." — Lee Sutton, describing his fiber-optic camera discovery

"My blood ran cold. We were both in total, dumbfounded shock of the realization that the body that we'd seen in that floor had been removed." — Andrew Sutton, on returning to the golf club with police

"Justice awaits those responsible for the removal and disposal of Trevaline Evans, in this life or the next, from Redland Golf Club on 03/19/2019 at noon. And may the Lord have mercy upon their souls." — Text from second mysterious plaque

Worth a full listen?

Listen to the full episode if you're fascinated by cold cases with multiple competing theories, never-before-published evidence, and alleged police cover-ups—this goes far deeper into timeline details, the brothers' investigation methods, and the emotional weight of a case police called "the strangest they've ever worked."