The Search for the Chada Children
The new season of RTE’s hit true crime format, The Case I Can’t Forget continues with The Search for the Chada Children.
In this episode, Superintendent Martin Walker and Superintendent Gary Walsh remember the operation they led to find Sanjeev Chada and his children Eoghan and Ruairi, after they disappeared from the family home, a decade ago, in July 2013.
From the start, it was a race against the clock.
“Mr. Chada had taken the two children away, which was unusual. It had never happened before. Personally, I had serious concerns and reservations at this stage. I thought we had to get to the bottom of it. And time was of the essence,” recalls Martin.
With no sign of the boys at any ports or airports, Martin was convinced they were still in the country. But where could they be, and why had their father taken them?
As detectives looked into Sanjeev Chada’s background, Martin discovered a financial scandal that had rocked the family’s security. It involved stealing funds from the community centre where Sanjeev was treasurer.
Kathleen Chada remembers discussing the crisis with her husband.
“I remember saying to him early on after the embezzlement, I remember saying, please don’t do anything stupid. Please don’t, you know, talk to me,” she says.
Martin, however, was convinced the scandal explained the disappearance.
This was the main point I concentrated on. It reinforced my opinion that there was something seriously wrong in this case,” says Martin.
In desperation, Superintendent Walker turned to a new police procedure, which, until then, had never been used by Gardai. He issued a Child Rescue Ireland Alert, or CRI Alert.
At 1.53pm on July 29th, appeals appeared on electronic gantries and toll points across the entire roads network. Radio stations all over the country interrupted their programmes with an urgent bulletin, and appeals were issued on social media networks and shared nationwide.
Meanwhile, near Westport in County Mayo, Superintendent Gary Walsh was called to the scene of a single vehicle collision. The driver had managed to survive the wreckage. But Gary and his team now made a shocking discovery that changed the investigation entirely, and haunted them for the rest of their careers.
“It was hard to comprehend, but at the same time we had a job to do. The professional aspect kicked in. We had to commence an investigation and find out exactly what happened and why it happened,” remembers Gary.
Extraordinarily, Kathleen Chada has managed to come to terms with the events of a decade ago. She explains how giving back to the community and the strength of friends like local hurling coach Roy Kavanagh have helped her survive.
“She’s turned a tragedy into a strength. She’s like a dynamo. The more she moves, the brighter she gets. And that’s just Kathleen,” says Roy.
“I carry on for Eoghan and Ruairi, and I also carry on for myself. It’s up to me to make sure that that life has some meaning. There’s no point in me just existing. I need to actually engage in life. And to do that with as much energy as I can,” explains Kathleen.
The Search for the Chada Children features contributions from Stephen Breen, Crime Editor of the Irish Sun; Angela Doyle Stuart, radio news anchor at KSLR FM; and Roy Kavanagh, Chairman of Ballinkillen Community Centre and friend to the Chada family.
The Case I Can’t Forget is a co-production between Rare TV Ireland Ltd and Green Inc Film and TV Ltd. Executive Producers are Edward Hart and Stephen Stewart. The Series Producer is Mary McBrien.
ENDS