The husband of an antiques dealer who went missing almost 25 years ago has died with the mystery of his wife’s disappearance unsolved. Richard Evans, of Llangollen, died at Wrexham Maelor Hospital on December 27, aged 83. His wife Trevaline was 52 when she disappeared on Saturday, June 16, 1990. She had left a note in her antiques shop saying she would be back in two minutes, but she was never seen again. Trevaline’s brother, Len Davies, said: “Richard has passed away not knowing what has happened to his wife.” On the day she went missing, Trevaline left her shop, Attic Antiques, on Church Street, at about 12.40pm, leaving the note on the door. At about 1pm, Trevaline bought an apple and a banana and was seen crossing Castle Street. It is thought she may have returned to her shop at this point as a banana skin was found in a waste bin there, though it was impossible to know whether it was the one bought that day. The last confirmed sighting of Trevaline was near her home on Market Street at 2.30pm. What happened after that has been the subject of speculation for quarter of a century – but Trevaline’s body has never been found. North Wales Police yesterday said the case remained open, but the investigation is not currently active. Reflecting on his sister’s disappearance, Mr Davies said: “I still don’t know myself what happened. “I have been wondering whether they might restart the investigation because it is the 25th anniversary this year. I can’t imagine after all this time any new evidence is going to come up, but it would certainly make people aware.” Mr Evans leaves behind daughter-in-law Anwen and grandsons Huw and Owen. “I would like to send my condolences to his two grandsons and his daughter-in-law at this sad time,” added Mr Davies. There were two more suspected sightings of Trevaline later on the day of her disappearance, although both are unconfirmed. Five minutes after Trevaline was seen on Market Street, a woman matching her description was seen walking out of town – along the A5 towards Corwen, beside the riverside park. A further one hour and 10 minutes later, at 3.45pm, there was another sighting, this time of her walking into Park Avenue from the direction of the River Dee.And then she vanished. Speaking to the Leader in 1992, Det Chief Insp Colin Edwards, who was heading the continuing investigation into the disappearance, said: “It is without doubt the strangest inquiry I have ever been involved with. “How a happily married woman could vanish without trace on a sunny Saturday morning in a busy town centre is totally baffling.” Mr Evans had been away during the week of her disappearance and was renovating the couple’s holiday bungalow near the coast at Rhuddlan. Trevaline herself had spent a couple of days in Rhuddlan earlier in the week of her disappearance but returned to Llangollen on Wednesday, June 13. When the case was reopened in 2001, the main focus of the inquiry was Trevaline’s movements in the three days between her return to Llangollen on the Wednesday and her disappearance. An artist’s impression of a man in a blazer apparently seen in her company had been drawn up and circulated during the investigation in 1990. However, it had failed to bring anyone forward and was later disregarded as no longer accurate by officers in 2001. At that time Mr Evans was arrested by police, interviewed and released without charge. Mr Evans’ funeral will be held at Pentrebychan Crematorium on Monday at 3pm. The service will be family flowers only but donations can be made in Mr Evans’ memory via the offertory plate. A North Wales Police spokesman said: “Such cases are never closed and are subject to periodic review.” The spokesman could not confirm if the case would be revisited later this year to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Trevaline’s disappearance.
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