Over the past few evenings I've typed up IS' call to 101 on 15th April 2016.
Hertfordshire Police how can I help?
Hello there. My partner has been missing since Monday and not contacted anyone, said she was going away, hasn’t gone…ended up where she said she was going, so I’m…we’ve just decided we should report it.
Has this been reported already?
No, it hasn’t, no.
Ok, she’s been missing since Monday?
Yeah.
Ok, bear with me, so, right bear with me, I’ll just take some details down
Sorry, I can’t hear you
Bear with me, just popping these details down, so she’d been missing since Monday?
Mm hum
What’s the address that she’s missing from?
45 Baldock Road
Baldock Road, and what’s the town?
Royston, sorry.
Royston, no problem. What’s your partner’s name?
Helen Bailey
Is that Bayley?
No Bailey.
And what’s her date of birth?
Oh crikey, God, you’ve thrown me there, 22[SUP]nd[/SUP], right just let me double check one second, oh God, sorry….can you still hear me?
I can still hear you.
I’m sorry, I’m just double checking, glad you asked that, it just went straight out my head.
No problem.
22[SUP]nd[/SUP] August 1964
54 yeah, 1954?
64!
64, my apologies.
No my fault, sorry, my just, my brain just went, sorry.
So, she’s gone away, was that for work, business, sorry?
No, no, she’s, she’s self-employed so she works from home, so she, no she left a note, she said, she said in the note something like ‘I need space and time alone, I’m going to Broadstairs, please don’t contact me in any way’ but in Broadstairs she’s got, we’ve got a, a cottage down there but we, people have been down there with neighbours and she hasn’t, she’s not there, hasn’t been there either.
So Broadstairs, where is Broadstairs?
On the clea…near Margate.
Markyate?
Ooh can I just take a call, someone’s just phoned me.
No problem.
Hello…bleep..no, no I’m actually on the phone to the police..bleep..can I come back to you? Yeah, ok, sorry..bleep..bye. Sorry, that’s a friend and she was just asking, sorry.
No problem. So Broadstairs, this property’s in Markyate was that?
No, sorry, no its, no it’s a little cottage we’ve got down there, it’s near Margate.
Margate. And she said ‘please don’t contact me’ yeah?
I’m sorry, you’re very quiet, what did you say?
Apologies. It says ‘please do not contact me’ as well in the note?
Oh yes, ‘please don’t contact me in any way’.
Ok, and nothing like a deadline when she’d be back or when you could contact her, nothing like that at all?
No, this has never happened before no. And her phone is just dead, it’s not, when I say dead it just, it just doesn’t ring. Just goes straight to answer machine.
And someone’s been to the cottage and…
Someone’s been to the cottage yeah. Her brother went there.
Does it look like anyone had been in there?
No, no. No. Someone went in and it doesn’t look like anyone’s been in there.
Ok. Did Helen go in a vehicle?
No, she didn’t. She’s left her car here. She did take her dog with her. She’s got a little Dachshund. But she could get there by train…or she, she could possibly take a taxi. She does do that sort of thing.
Ok. And the dog was a Dachshund?
Yeah.
Ok. I just need to go through some questions with you. Can I take your name please?
Ian Stewart.
Bear with me while I fill out the details that we know at this time.
Sorry did you ask me a question there?
Oh no, sorry. I just said I’ll go through these details we’ve already got, like her name and birth date, we’ve got that. So I’ll just pop these in quickly. So, when was the last time you saw her?
Monday afternoon before about, ‘bout quarter to, quarter to 3, twenty to 3.
And did she say anything to you unusual…or?
No. Nothing before I went out. No she just asked me to run an errand for her after I had been to the doctors.
And she said nothing to you then, was she leaving the premises at that time?
No, no, she was…I left her here.
Oh you left her, ok. So you left about quarter to 3 or so and then what time did you return?
Aghh, must have been, probably just before 5. I didn’t actually really notice.
That’s no problem. And that’s when you saw the note?
I didn’t see it straight away, she’d put it on the desk. I didn’t see it straight away no.
What sort of time did you realise the note had been left?
Oh, I don’t, ‘bout quarter past 5, something like that.
So a few minutes later yeah?
Yeah, not very long, no not very long, sorry yeah.
And was the note a bit of a shock, were you expecting it at all?
No I wasn’t. We…ell, yes it was a shock. She has talked about it but it was still a shock. She has talked about wanting space ‘cause things just haven’t been going well for her recently, or for us.
Ok, so she’d mentioned wanting space but she’d never actually acted on it, she’s not left before?
She’s never done anything like this before, no.
And so at this time we have no idea where Helen is, no…
No-one. No, and there’s, I’ve contacted, there’s 4 people who basically, who she would contact. Her brother and 2 best friends, and they’ve not heard from her. They’ve assured me they’ve not heard from her and they said they promised that they would say.
So you’ve spoken to 2 of her brothers and 2 of her friends?
No. I’ve spoken to, I’m sorry I didn’t say that very well. I’ve spoken to her brother John and 2 of her friends, 3 of her friends effectively, I’ve got one who’s indirect, I haven’t spoken to her directly but someone else has, so there’s 3 girlfriends, or 3 women, and her brother. And they’re the only people who know at the moment because we, oh and the neighbour, and the neighbours down at Broadstairs sort of have an inkling that we’re all concerned but we haven’t said it, we haven’t told her parents or my parents, or my sons.
Ok, so your parents and Helen’s parents aren’t aware of this at the moment?
Not at the moment no, although her brother has spoken to her parents and he’s sure, he’s, he’s sure she’s not there.
This may sound silly but she’s definitely not at home, no?
No. Her brother asked that. I, I’ve literally checked everywhere. We have got quite a large house but I have literally checked everywhere.
And she’s never been missing before, no?
Not, not since, I’ve, I’ve only, I’ve known her 5 years, but no and her brother says no.
Does she have anything um any sort of medical or psychological issues at all?
Well, she’s got, she’s um...well she’s menopausal, that’s the only medical issue that she’s got, but she did have a, I don’t like to use the word breakdown ‘cause her brother said it wasn’t a breakdown, but she did see a psych…she was in…well she did see a psychologist and she was in group therapy, I’ve, her friend thinks this is probably about 10 years ago maybe longer. She hasn’t said much about that to me, but she did go through that, yeah, so yes the answer is to that. Yes.
That was about 10 years ago?
Well I think so yeah, what I’ve just told you is all I knew. All I really know, that’s all her friend really knows as well.
No problem, thank you. Does she take any sort of medication that she critically needs do you know?
No. She’s, she’s not, she actually I’ve been want...been wanting her to go to the doctor because [?] but she won’t go to the doctor. The only medicine she takes is what she buys over the internet, things like herbal stuff, vitamins, that sort of stuff.
Ok, no problem.
Yeah, nothing, no medical condition, nothing like diabetes or anything.
Ok. And sorry to repeat this, but she’s not attempted suicide or self-harm ever before, no?
No. Unless, no. No everyone’s sure she hasn’t. No.
Ok, and can she interact safely with other people? Will she be happy going up to someone asking for directions?
Oh yes. Oh yes, she’s a very l…she’s an author. She’s a children’s author and she’s written books yeah. No she’s very, she’s very good, talking to people.
And is she ever likely to be a victim of any sort of abuse that you know of?
No. I’ve, no, she’s a very strong person, be very hard to abuse Helen. She’d come back to you very strongly. She did, this is prob…she lost her husband well ‘bout just over 5 years ago and that’s how I met her, because I lost my partner and we met through a berea…bereavement group.
Oh I see, ok, um and
Just…
Sorry
…I don’t know if that’s relevant but I just thought you…should better tell you.
Oh yeah, I can pop that down, it all helps. Um it may seem a bit random, but is she likely to be involved or subjected to crime at all?
Did you say...I’m sorry I heard the word crime but I didn’t hear…?
Sorry. Repeats question.
No.
No, and could you describe her dog for me, if that’s alright?
It’s a miniature Dachshund. I mean it’s brown, it’s, the, it’s not, it’s not a wire hair it’s a smooth coat miniature Dachshund. So it’s pretty self-explanatory eh.
Is it male, female?
It’s male.
Does it wear a collar or anything?
Yes it does. It wears a yellow collar, well it does when she, when we’re out wal…well it doesn’t in the house but it does when we’re out yeah.
Yes ok. I’m popping some more details down so bear with me if I go quiet.
Ok (sniffs)
Ok, so, just need to go through her sort of physical appearance if that’s alright, so what sort of, what’s her height initially?
Ooh, I’m gonna guess here, she has told me but she’s probably 5’10”, just, something like that. Quite tall.
And what sort of build, is she slim?
Slim. That’s easy (relief)
And her hair colour and style?
It, it’s on the shoulder, long, it’s, she won’t like me saying this it’s black going grey. Grey strea…grey streaky. Not grey streaky it’s going grey. So it’s black, it’s black but she’s left, just left it natural, so it’s got grey highlights in if you like. Probably the best way to describe it. (faint chuckle)
And her eye colour?
Her eye colour. Oh my God. How do you forget these things? I don’t know at the moment. Sorry it’s just gone out my head.
Fine that’s no problem.
Sorry, God, that’s terrible.
And her sort of skin colour?
Uuh, pale I guess I would say, pale.
Is that sort of white pale?
Yeah, white pale, yeah. God, how can I not remember her eye colour? That’s terrible.
And what sort of clothes would she typically wear?
What sort of clothes? Typically, oh, jeans, jeans and a shirt. Jeans, just typically, day to day.
Does she usually have a handbag with her?
Well. I don’t, I have, she’s got quite a few han…I, I don’t know, I don’t, I’ve, I would normally, yes, but I don’t particularly know which one she’s taken, if, if she’s taken one.
No problem at all. And can I just take down her contact number if that’s ok?
‘Course it is, I’m gonna have to look it up because it’s something I can never remember. It’s just in my phone if you know what I mean. (bleeps while number is read out)
And it’s currently been turned off all this time?
Well, that’s what, that’s what we think, or out of service you know, out of range, or…
I’ve got all that information, leave that with us, what I will do now is I will send this across to our officers and what we’ll do is make certain enquiries about her …police…hospitals..etc. We’ll cover all those bases, um if you have any further information please do give us a call and what we’ll do is give you a call if we have any further or we need any further information alright?
Ok, so what do I do, do I, is there anything else to be done now I mean?
No, not at this time. If I give you a reference number for this call, it’s 475.
475.
And that’s of today’s date which is 15[SUP]th[/SUP] of the 4[SUP]th[/SUP].
So, if I want to ring you what do, do I ring 101? That’s what I got through to you, is that the right way to come…?
Yeah, if you call us on 101 and just say reference number 475 of 15/4 and we can find this log and we’ll know exactly what’s going on.
Ok.
Would you mind if I take the whole address of the cottage?
The whole address of the cottage? Wow. Crikey. I’m not sure if I can give you that. I just go there. Er, I’m gonna have to look that up, I really don’t know, I know it’s Raglan Place, I can’t, I don’t know what the number is. I just, the number, I’m sorry, I’ll have to look that up. I’m, I really will. I just go there, no I don’t know. I don’t know without looking that up somewhere. It’s somewhere we just go and I’m not, I don’t think I’ve ever, I must have the address, I’ve got the address somewhere, but I just don’t know what it is. Sorry, no.
That’s ok. I’ll let our officers know at this time we don’t have the cottage address but if you do find out just give us a call.
Yeah, no, I can, I’ve got it obviously but it’s just not something, I never have to write there or anything so, yeah, ok.
Alright Ian just leave that with us for the time being and we’ll be in contact with you shortly, ok?
But when you say, because I’m gonna be, because our [gardener’s away?] and her 2 friends, when you say shortly what we talking about, a day, 2 days?
It’s all dependent, I couldn’t say, it depends if we know where Helen is, if we have any further leads etc. It just all depends on whatever information we have.
Ok.
Alright. And what’s your best contact number?
Did I give you my mobile number?
Um I don’t believe you have, I’ve got Helen’s.
No, as I say my mobile is the best contact number. (bleeps while number is read out)
Again, we’ll be in contact as soon as we can be, alright?
So I’ve just, it’s just a question of waiting, there’s nothing, nothing else you do at…this..stage? (hesitation over last 2 words)
As I say, we’ll just do our initial enquiries and yeah it’s just a case of waiting unfortunately.
Ok. Ok, just because I, I’ve gotta talk to her brother and her 2, her friends. So yeah.
…..
