She Said She Would Be Back In Two Minutes, But Then She Bizarrely Vanished From Her Antique Shop
Born on September 6, 1937, Trevaline Evans led a seemingly picturesque life in Northern Wales.
She married her husband, Richard Evans, and together, they had a son. In 1989, she also opened her dream antique shop, known as Attic Antiques, on Church Street in her hometown of Llangollen.
Yet, at the age of 52, she mysteriously vanished after leaving her shop on June 16, 1990, and her disappearance has remained unsolved ever since.
That Saturday started off as usual for Trevaline, who arrived at her shop and opened at 9:30 a.m. as normal. Approximately 25 friends and customers stopped by throughout the morning and thought she appeared relaxed and happy. Trevaline even reportedly made plans to go out later that same night.
However, at 12:30 p.m., she placed a sign on her shop door that read “back in two minutes,” shortly after she was seen talking with a well-dressed man outside.
About half an hour later, she visited a different store to purchase an apple and a banana. Then, she was seen crossing the road close to Castle Street. Where Trevaline went for the following 90 minutes is unknown, but she was last seen walking on Market Street, near her home.
Despite the “back in two minutes” sign placed on her antique shop door, Trevaline never returned, and the business never reopened. Customers who wanted to purchase items from boxes on the street outside the store were reportedly forced to put their cash in the letterbox of the shop’s front door.
One local woman drove past the shop at 6:00 p.m. that evening and supposedly noticed a man outside. Additionally, she believed the shop’s front door had been open, although she wasn’t certain.
Trevaline’s family became concerned around the same time, given they hadn’t seen her, and went out looking. Upon getting to her antique shop, they found the front door was locked. Still, Trevaline’s belongings, including her jacket, keys, handbag, fruit, and flowers, were inside on the counter.
andyborodaty – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only – pictured above is an antique shop
Moreover, her car, which had been parked about 200 yards away from the shop that morning, hadn’t been moved.
A banana peel was found in the shop’s garbage, and since Trevaline had purchased a banana that afternoon, it was unclear if she’d made it back to her business. It has never been confirmed whether the banana peel belonged to Trevaline.
Once she was officially reported missing, various possible sightings were reported to police. One witness allegedly saw Trevaline walking out of town next to Riverside Park at 2:35 p.m., which is five minutes after her last confirmed sighting.
Another witness claimed that someone who matched Trevaline’s description was spotted walking out of Riverside Park. Neither of these potential sightings could be confirmed.
More curiously, a third witness said that, on Thursday, June 14, she’d seen Trevaline speaking with two men while walking past the antique shop. One of the men was supposedly older, and one was younger.
The next day, the older man, who was described as “distinguished-looking and very well-dressed,” donning a navy blue suit and a black briefcase, was reportedly seen talking to Trevaline outside of her shop again.
It is suspected that this was the same man who was speaking to Trevaline on the day she vanished, Saturday, June 16.
Police launched a wide-ranging investigation, checking 1,500 names and 700 cars. Searches were also conducted in the River Dee, the local canal, caves, and mineshafts. Unfortunately, no evidence of Trevaline’s whereabouts was found.
There was no activity on her bank account after she went missing, which led investigators to suspect she’d been met with foul play. Nonetheless, her case went cold in the wake of little evidence, and she was declared legally dead in 1997.
By 2001, advancements in forensic technology pushed investigators to reopen her case out of the hope that new evidence and leads may be produced. Trevaline’s husband, Richard Evans, was also arrested before being promptly released.
Again, the investigation went cold, and it was reopened years later in 2010. But, to this day, exactly what happened to Trevaline remains unclear.
“How a happily married woman could vanish without a trace on a sunny Saturday morning in a busy town center is totally baffling,” stated Detective Chief Inspector Colin Edwards.
Word of Trevaline’s case has reached other faraway nations, and potential sightings of her have been reported in France, London, and Australia.
In 2019, a pair of brothers said they discovered evidence suggesting Trevaline had been buried at Rhuddlan Golf Club. Authorities looked into this lead and found no evidence.
Some benches have reportedly been adorned with mysterious metal plaques that supposedly allude to Trevaline’s fate and call for justice, too.
Most recently, a mini-documentary came out in 2024 that looked at Trevaline’s case with fresh eyes and supposedly shared new information. According to the program, Trevaline’s marriage wasn’t as joyful as it appeared since she reportedly received an inheritance of over $12,000 from a lover before she vanished.
As for the well-dressed man Trevaline had been speaking to, it was allegedly her brother who lived and worked in Budapest.
Finally, according to the mini-documentary, Trevaline’s husband was in town on the day she went missing, not hours away working on their holiday bungalow, as he was supposed to be doing.
He was placed in a local pub by multiple witnesses shortly before Trevaline disappeared, despite never mentioning that he’d arrived back in town early. Plus, he was reportedly spotted disposing of furniture and carpet.
While Trevaline’s husband was a main suspect, though, he has passed away, as well as Trevaline’s son and two brothers. So, her disappearance has gone unsolved for over 34 years, and without any new information, what exactly happened to Trevaline will remain a mystery.
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