In 1990, Trevaline Evans was 52 years old, a mother to a son, a grandmother, and married to her husband Richard Evans. The couple was living in the small town of Llangollen in North Whales at the time, but the two had recently bought a holiday bungalow in Rhuddlan, a coastal town approximately an hour away.
Trevaline had lived in Llangollen her entire life and had recently bought an antique shop called Attic Antiques near the town center. She had been a collector as a hobby her entire life so opening the shop was a lifetime dream for her. She was known to buy from locals, dealers, and people passing through town.
Trevaline Evans
During the week of June 11, Trevaline and Richard were up in Rhuddlan working on their bungalow. Richard remembers Trevaline as happy while renovating and working in the garden before she returned to Llangollen on Wednesday.
On Thursday, June 14 at 9:15 am a local housewife was passing the antique shop and noticed Trevaline outside talking to two men, one older and one younger. The next day, the older of the two men was seen with Trevaline again. Witnesses described him as distinguished-looking and very well-dressed, he was wearing a navy blue suit and carrying a black briefcase. That evening, a couple was driving down Castle Street and noticed Trevaline standing in the doorway of a cafe with a piece of paper in her hand. It appeared to them that she was looking for someone, as she kept coming in and out of the doorway and looking down the street.
On Saturday, June 16, Trevaline drove her blue Ford Escort to Church Street to open Attic Antiques at the usual time of 9:30 am. She parked her car 200 yards from the shop. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary according to the 25 guests who had either called or visited the shop that morning. It was a sunny day and the town center was bustling with people. Trevaline appeared happy and relaxed and had even made plans to go out to a party that night with a friend.
At around 12:40 pm, Trevaline popped out of the shop and left a note on the door that said "Back in 2 minutes". She did not leave often on Saturdays as they were known to be busy days for the shop but when she did, she always left a note on the door. At 1:00 pm she was seen buying an apple and banana at a shop on High Street and crossing Castle Street. After these sightings, where she was for the next 90 minutes is not entirely clear. A banana peel was found in the waste bin of her antique shop - but it is not certain if that was from before or after she left the shop. The shop remained closed and customers who bought items on the streetside boxes outside of the shop placed money through the letter box on the door for their purchases.
Sign left by Trevaline and Attic Antiques in 1990 (The Daily Mail)
The last confirmed sighting of Trevaline was at 2:30 pm near her home, she was seen walking down Market Street in the direction of her shop. Five minutes after she was last seen on Market Street a witness reported seeing a woman that matched her description walking in the opposite direction heading out of town along the A5 beside the riverside park. A few minutes after that, a woman matching her description was seen walking on the footpath leading out of the riverside park.
Just before 6:00 pm, a woman driving along Church Street noticed a man standing outside of Attic Antiques. Although she could not be certain, she thought she saw the door to the shop open. At this point, Trevaline's family had begun to search for her and when they arrived at the shop later that night, the door was locked. `In the shop. There they found her makeup compact open on the counter, her handbag with all her credit cards still inside, car keys, her jacket, and fruit and flowers she had intended to take home that night.
After Trevaline's disappearance, an extensive police search was conducted around the area and more than 1,500 names were checked and about 700 cars were eliminated. No transactions have ever been made from any of Trevaline's bank accounts since her disappearance. The case has remained a complete mystery to police and family members and no body has ever been found.
How a happily married woman could vanish without trace on a sunny Saturday morning in a busy town centre is totally baffling.Det Chief Insp Colin Edwards (The Daily Post UK)
The case was first reopened in 2001 with hopes that new forensic techniques would lead to a breakthrough. Trevaline's husband Richard was arrested and questioned but soon released without charge. In 2010, on the 20th anniversary of her disappearance, the case was reopened but remains unsolved.
There have been apparent sightings of her in a remote town in Australia and London. Interpol also investigated a sighting in France, but nothing ever came of these sightings abroad. Police also once believed her disappearance was connected to serial killer Robin Ligus but police soon ruled out any connection.
Trevaline's only son, Richard Evans, died of a heart attack in 1999 in his late 30s. Her husband Richard passed away in 2015, with his wife's murder left unsolved. Trevaline's younger brother Len Davies is still hopeful that one day the truth about his sister's disappearance will come to light.
