Under Salt Marsh: Episode 3 delivered 5 game-changing revelations including the tragic discovery of a body
And another new – particularly sinister – suspect was revealed
Under Salt Marsh, the best crime drama of 2026 so far – in our humble opinion – continues to deliver tension, drama, and unexpected bombshells, and episode 3 was no exception.
In the latest episode of the atmospheric Sky Atlantic thriller, DI Eric Bull and Jackie Ellis uncovered an illegal waste-dumping operation which caused unrest to spread throughout the town. It was quite likely the waste on the quarry was affecting the town’s water supply. It was also, without a doubt, linked to both Cefin and Nessa’s deaths.
Former colleagues Jackie and DI Bull, forced into an uneasy alliance, shared information whilst following separate leads… While Jackie uncovered a deadly lie at the heart of the investigation which tore her life apart three years ago, Bull was forced to wrestle with his intimacy issues. And their fragile partnership was tested when Bull made a horrifying new discovery.
Here’s episode 3 of Under Salt Marsh unpacked, including five game-changing revelations.
***Warning: spoilers from Under Salt Marsh episode three ahead***
Under Salt Marsh episode 3: The truth about Nessa’s disappearance
In last week’s episode 2 of Under Salt Marsh, Jackie heard that her missing niece Nessa had not been in the woods the night she had died after all. Which pretty much blew the whole investigation apart.
This week, we discovered for a fact that the Bevan cousins had lied about seeing Nessa in the woods. She had been, in fact, at the quarry playing with them. Or rather being bullied and teased by them.
Consumed with guilt, Cathy finally told Jackie the truth. She admitted they’d been playing on a tractor in the quarry on Solomon’s Farm – with Nessa.
She said: “We used to mess with her. Be cruel. Nessa said she’d tell her parents, so we threatened her. It didn’t mean anything. We weren’t serious. We threatened to hurt her. I promise you we didn’t. We left her alone, and then she was just gone.”
Nessa’s dead body was finally found
With Nessa last seen at the quarry on Solomon’s land, and Cefin’s body also having possible links to the quarry, the police began to excavate the land. And tragically, they discovered Nessa’s dead body.
It had been buried in the quarry for three years, ever since her disappearance. She was still wearing the same red cardigan that Jackie pictured her in in her dreams.
Finding out the truth about her niece, a devastated Jackie said: “All this time, she’s been buried under the quarry? Why didn’t we find her?”
We also found out that someone has been “dumping muck” on Solomon’s land, and polluting the quarry. Could it be linked to the deaths?
Nessa and Cefin’s deaths are linked
Now DI Eric Bull knows that Nessa and Cefin’s deaths are likely linked. Nessa’s body was found in the quarry, and this is most likely where Cefin spent his last moments too.
Of course we know that, before he died, Cefin had drawn a picture of a man in a white hazmat suit. The evidence under his fingernails also pointed to the fact that the person who killed him was likely wearing heavy-duty gloves and suit.
However, there was no sodium hydroxide found in the water there, which means Cefin did not drown in the water in the quarry. His lungs were filled with water polluted by sodium hydroxide. So was he killed elsewhere?
DI Eric Bull said: “We’ve got two deaths three years apart and both of them can be linked back to the illegal dumping of industrial waste. We have no choice but to link the two and treat them as one investigation.”
New suspect emerged – is Jackie’s lover Dylan Rees involved?
One of the biggest bombshells dropped in Under Salt Marsh episode 3 was the possible involvement of Dylan Rees.
The hair found on Cefin’s dead body was a match for his best friend James – but only a partial one. In fact, the hair belonged to a male relative of James.
And James’ only male relative in Morfa Halen is his uncle Dylan Rees. So why would Dylan’s hair be found on Cefin’s body? Of course, viewers know Jackie is having a secret affair with Dylan. And quite possibly carrying his baby.
Under Salt Marsh episode 3: Solomon Bevan’s confession
In the closing seconds of Under Salt Marsh episode 3, Solomon Bevan walked into DI Eric Bull’s makeshift police office. Clearly emotional, he said: “I’m here to confess.”
Viewers had previously seen him quietly sobbing on his own. So what does he have to hide? All we know at this point is that Solomon was Cefin’s grandad, and a prominent character in Morfa Halen, thanks to owning the local farm. So what is he about to confess to?
Does he know something about Nessa or Cefin’s death? Or, more likely, have a part in the waste found on his land?
What is The Black Sow? Is it real?
Before he was killed, Cefin was having nightmares about ‘The Black Sow’. Jackie tried to reassure him by saying if he faced whatever he was scared of, the dreams would go away.
When Cefin’s friend James was asked about his friend, he mentioned Cefin’s dreams about The Black Sow, and said the animal was on Solomon’s Farm.
Jackie later told DI Bull: “It’s an old Halloween myth. The Black Sow comes out at night to hurt and capture the last kid standing.”
The Black Sow, known in Welsh as Hwch Ddu Gwta (tailless black sow), is a real folklore in Wales. Described as a “terrifying folkloric spirit in Wales”, it traditionally appears on Halloween, and represents a demon or monster that roams in the dark.
The myth was likely started to ensure children returned home safely before dark.
5 game-changing revelations in Under Salt Marsh episode 3
- Nessa was not in the woods the night she was murdered – she was at the quarry.
- Nessa and Cefin’s deaths are linked.
- Police found Nessa’s dead body after three years.
- Dylan’s hair was found on Cefin’s body.
- Solomon Bevan’s confession.
What else happened in Under Salt Marsh episode 3?
- When masked men broke into Gareth Morgan’s house, he got a room at the B&B Eric was staying it. And it became clear that there was something between them. Eric and Gareth kissed, and ended up in bed together. Although Eric later dismissed it by insisting it was just a one-night stand.
- However, we did see a softer side to Eric when he became Jackie’s confidante about her unborn baby. He may have intimacy issues, but he definitely has a heart.
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August Antonov had previously gone to the police about Nessa’s disappearance. But, when they didn’t have time to talk to him, he later did a u-turn. He continues to work on Solomon’s farm and seems to be scared of the family. He also seems to have been paid off. Did someone buy his silence?
