By In 1990, a lady by the name of Trevaline Evans left her antiques shop and put a note on the front door to say “back in two minutes”. However, she never returned.
Trevaline’s whereabouts remains a mystery, as do the circumstances behind her disappearance. Foul play is suspected by many.
This article reviews this case. There is a reader’s poll at the end of the article, which we hope you vote on. We will all be able to see what the consensus is among our readers as to what happened.
Background
Trevaline was 52 years old at the time of her disappearance. At the time, she lived in a small town called Llangollen, in the county of Denbingshire, Wales, United Kingdom.
She owned and ran an antiques shop called Attic Antiques, which she had opened in 1989. She was well-known in the local community.
In the build-up to her disappearance, Trevaline had been away with her husband Richard Evans in the nearby town of Rhuddlan – which was about a 45 minute drive away.
They had been renovating their holiday bungalow. Richard was a maintenance engineer. Trevaline returned on Wednesday 13th June, while Richard remained in Rhuddlan.
The Disappearance
On Saturday 16th June 1990, the day started like any other for Trevaline. Her store opened at 9:30am – as was customary for her shop on a Saturday.
The morning was rather busy, with sources saying that approximately 25 customers visited. Those that did visit later said that Trevaline appeared to be her usual happy self. Moreover, she had also made plans to go out in the evening.
At approximately 12:40pm, Trevaline left a note on the front door of her shop. The note said that she would be “back in two minutes”.
However, the note remained there, rather than being taken down within 2 minutes. While people noticed that the sign “back in 2 minutes” remained untouched throughout the afternoon, nothing was reported.
But then in the evening, when Richard tried to call Trevaline and got no answer, he started worrying. He asked for a neighbour to go to check on their house and the store for Trevaline.
However, there was no sign of her at either place and the note remained placed on the door. Richard reported Trevaline as missing to the Police.
The Investigation
A large effort was made to find Trevaline. As this was a rather quiet area, serious crime was rare. But the Police started investigating quickly.
Significant resources were allocated to the case. Every household in the town of Llangollen was visited, with occupants interviewed. Neighbouring towns and villages also had investigators visit. In total, over 300 statements were taken.
The River Dee, a nearby canal, and old mine shafts in the area were searched, but there was no sign of Trevaline.
However, these intensive efforts failed to find any trace of her. Considering the extensive resources that had been invested in the investigation, this led to confusion among the investigators.
They tried to retrace Trevaline’s last steps. It has been confirmed that she went to a nearby store to buy an apple and a banana. The chain of events that followed this aren’t entirely known.
A banana skin was found in a bin in the shop, resulting in the belief that Trevaline returned to the store after putting the note up. But there is no guarantee that this banana was the same one as the one she purchased on the day.
The final confirmed sighting of Trevaline came near her home on the nearby Market Street at 2:30pm. What happened between 12:40pm and 2:30pm remains a mystery – especially as her store was advertised as being shut for just 2 minutes.
Her handbag, car keys, and a jacket, were among the belongings left in the shop. Furthermore, her car – which had been parked close by – remained in the same position.
Following the 2:30pm sighting, two further sightings were proposed – though the Police have never been able to confirm if these were accurate.
At around 2:35pm, a woman matching Trevaline’s description was seen walking along the A5 road – out of town towards Corwen, which is approximately 10 miles away.
Then, another sighting was reported at around 3:45pm, which suggested a woman matching Trevaline’s description was walking along Park Avenue – which is also on the A5 road. This was the final proposed sighting from the day.
The Police were told about a ‘smartly dressed man’ that had been seen talking to Trevaline shortly before she left the note. This was a line of enquiry they followed, resulting in an artist’s impression being created and circulated. However, the man was never traced and it is unknown if he had any role other than just being a shopper on that day.
Additionally, two Scottish tourists would later come forward to say they had seen Trevaline with a grey-haired man at a wine bar the night before her disappearance.
The Police were left surprised at the lack of leads that had developed. It seemed as if Trevaline had just vanished into thin air. Unfortunately, resources were scaled back, with no answers seemingly being forthcoming.
The head of the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Colin Edwards, would later call it “without doubt the strangest inquiry I have ever been involved” in.
Later Developments
Trevaline’s disappearance remains unsolved. Despite the large effort put in by the Police, what happened to her remains completely unknown.
Down the years, there have been several reported sightings of Trevaline – though none of these have ever been confirmed. These sightings have not been limited to just the UK either.
In both 1992 and 1993, enhanced searches took place around two different areas, following a tip-off. However, nothing was found.
The case was featured on the BBC’s well-known Crimewatch show. While this ignited interest and led to several phone calls, it failed to provide any major leads.
In January 2001, with enhanced forensic techniques available, the case was reopened. 10 detectives were assigned the case, resulting in them reviewing original information from 1990.
This led to a shock development in June 2001, when Trevaline’s husband Richard was arrested in connection with her disappearance. The exact circumstances behind this arrest are unknown.
Richard was later released on bail and then released without charge. But this arrest has led to some questioning if he was involved in some way. Richard died in 2015 aged 83, seemingly without ever knowing what happened to his wife.
Trevaline’s family stated that she wasn’t the type of person that would have gone with someone of her own volition – suggesting she either knew the person, was abducted against her will, or was involved in a freak accident.
Her brother Len Davies has spoken to the media in the past, saying that the family were split on what had occurred. Len said that the family just wanted closure.
In 2010, in line with it being the 20th anniversary of Trevaline’s disappearance, the case was re-examined by the Police. Existing evidence was reviewed. But again, nothing of note was found.
In 2019, the bar of Rhuddlan Golf Club was dug up following a tip-off that a body may be buried there – some linked this to Trevaline. But no body was found.
In 2021 and 2022, the case took a more sinister turn due to messages appearing related to the case. In both cases, notes were written on plaques which were left on benches.
Firstly, in 2021, on a bench around 30 miles from Llangollen, a plaque appeared which read “In memory of Trevaline Evans Vanished 16/6/1990. Found – Rhuddlan GC (Golf Club) 14/3/2019 Removed 19/3/2019 RIP”.
Due to the dates mentioned, it was believed that this was linked to the 2019 search of the Rhuddlan Golf Club.
Then in 2022, a second plaque appeared, this time on a hill in the Prestatyn area – approximately 50 miles away. This time, the plaque accused someone of moving the remains of Trevaline. “Justice awaits those responsible for the removal and disposal of Trevaline Evans (in this life or next) from Rhuddlan Golf Club on March 19, 2019 at noon. May the Lord have mercy upon their soul.”
It isn’t known if these come from someone connected to the case, a conspiracy theorist, or if they are a hoax. Both plaques were removed.
The case has been featured on various podcasts and other videos on social media platforms. It also continues to be well-known in the Denbingshire area.
Trevaline Evans was declared legally dead in 1997. Her whereabouts remain unknown.
Theories
This disappearance has spawned many theories. Due to the lack of evidence, it is challenging to make any sort of conclusion. However, a few theories have been put forward.
We take a look at the evidence for each theory:
Theory One: Trevaline Evans was abducted/murdered by a stranger
Many believe that Trevaline was abducted by someone and later murdered. This seems the most logical explanation in this case.
It is likely that between the crucial 12:40pm and 2:30pm time period that Trevaline was meeting someone. Could it have been an unscrupulous person that later returned to attack her?
There were reports of her being seen with other men at the time – including the grey-haired man seen by Scottish tourists. There was also the ‘smartly-dressed’ man that had been mentioned.
But this isn’t known if accurate, or what relationship any of them had to Trevaline. But there is seemingly a good chance that she was met with foul play.
She may have been lured away on the pretence of an antiques sale or discussion. She would’ve met and spoke to strangers everyday and due to her being alone in the store – could arguably be seen as being vulnerable.
While Llangollen is a busy town, it is feasible that Trevaline could have been abducted by someone as she walked back towards the store.
Sadly, if this theory is accurate, the chances are that Trevaline was murdered at a later point, with her body disposed of somewhere.
The lack of answers and the strange circumstances in this case mean that this is a bit of a ‘catch-all’ theory, but it is arguably the most likely given what we do know.
Theory Two: Trevaline Evans was murdered by her husband
There have been some suggestions that Trevaline was murdered by her husband Richard, before her body was hidden.
While there is no clear evidence to support this, the family did note that Trevaline wasn’t the type of person to go off with a stranger. Additionally, Richard was arrested at one point.
Could it be possible that Richard surprised her by meeting her and that they were together from the elusive 12:40pm to 2:30pm timeframe? Perhaps something horrible went wrong, resulting in Trevaline’s death. There have also been some reports of strain in their marriage.
However, by most accounts, it was a very happy marriage. Moreover, Richard was in Rhuddlan at the time. While it isn’t inconceivable that he could have travelled back, witnesses have come forward to confirm that they saw Richard that day in Rhuddlan.
While it does seem unlikely that Richard was involved, once again it is a possibility – especially as she appears highly likely to have been abducted by someone.
Theory Three: Trevaline Evans accidentally drowned
It is possible that Trevaline accidentally fell into water and drowned. The road that her store was on – Church Street – is located close to a river.
Therefore, could Trevaline have been out walking or on her way to meet someone near the river, only to accidentally fall in? It is plausible.
While extensive efforts were made in searching rivers in the area, it is possible that Trevaline’s body was missed.
But equally, it isn’t known why Trevaline would be down by the river – there is seemingly no explanation for this. But it remains a possibility and may explain why no body was ever found.
Theory Four: Trevaline Evans intentionally vanished
The circumstances involved in this case make this theory incredibly unlikely, but it is a possibility. Could Trevaline have vanished intentionally?
Trevaline’s brother Len has said in the past about how his wife believes she left on her own accord intentionally. If the two post-2:30pm sightings are accurate, this may have been her walking towards a new area.
Trevaline was believed to be enjoying life – and told some of the store’s visitors on the day that she disappeared that she had plans for the evening. It didn’t seem to make sense that she would leave on that day, unless these were the ‘plans’ she spoke of.
Moreover, she would have left with the absolute bare minimum. She left her car keys, handbag and clothing in the store. Also, her bank account has remained untouched.
Trevaline also had a recognisable face – having featured on TV shows and missing persons posters. It is unlikely that she would remain undetected all this time.
Leaving on foot with no resources would be nigh-on impossible, but with this case being so unusual, no theory can be ruled out.
Reader Vote
With the above theories laid out, we now invite you to cast your vote on the theory that you believe is the most accurate in the poll below.
Summary
This case has so many unanswered questions. Trevaline’s disappearance is tragic, with the truth of what happened seemingly consigned to the territory of being unknown.
When ‘back in 2 minutes’ turns into forever, there will always be confusion. Hope remains that this case will one day be solved, which would provide some closure to loved ones.
Image Credit
Cropped image of poster distributed by Crimestoppers
