Found Deceased UK - Gaia Pope, 19, Swanage, Dorset, 7 Nov 2017 #1

[D.Light]

Sunset was 16.33 and she went missing around 4, meaning it'd be just getting dark. Lights would certainly be going on and curtains closed. I've Streetview 'walked' from RD's flat to the top of Cow Lane which would seem to be the logical direction. Even in the middle of the day when the images appear to be taken, there are few people or occupied cars around and it's generally backs/sides of houses that face the road. One one side of Cow Lane it's mostly rear access so garages and brick walls, only the upstairs windows would be able to see the road. So I think it's a definite possibility that she *could* have made it that far without being seen.

Swanage School [High Street] finishes at 15:30, nurseries finish slightly earlier.... there WOULD have been a fair amount of school children in the area, not to mention mum's ferrying children about. I agree there would be a small window of opportunity of her not being seen on the 3-5 walk/jpg where she was heading... and it is STEEP

 

[Wez]

https://twitter.com/BBCRadioSolent/status/931477957360734208

The is very focused now, looks like the clothing is hers.....

The fact Fire & Rescue are on site seems ominous. Is that just to search inaccessible areas or to recover a body? I hope GP's family get some closure quickly.

 

[Mersault]

This is so confusing.

Why would the police release this dashcam footage now, after having various members of the Elsey family in custody all week?

 

[Tortoise]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-42025046

 

[Mersault]

Surely if the police think anything happened in RD's house, they wouldn't let her out almost immediately to go and collude with other suspects? Surely if they'd found any evidence of death/blood, they wouldn't still be releasing the dashcam footage and having GP's family say they still hope to find her alive?

GP's confrontation was borne of whatever went on on Facebook. The police, her family, even NE and family, must all know what that was, but we're in the dark.

 

[Sallyla]

Swanage School [High Street] finishes at 15:30, nurseries finish slightly earlier.... there WOULD have been a fair amount of school children in the area, not to mention mum's ferrying children about. I agree there would be a small window of opportunity of her not being seen on the 3-5 walk/jpg where she was heading... and it is STEEP

Unless she was in a car during that time and the dashcam footage was right. We know that there were people who encouraged her paranoia and talk of running away. Perhaps she was with someone who's not talking now?

Lord Lucan left his clothing on a cliff top to make it appear he'd disappeared....

 

[Mersault]

Unless she was in a car during that time and the dashcam footage was right. We know that there were people who encouraged her paranoia and talk of running away. Perhaps she was with someone who's not talking now?

Lord Lucan left his clothing on a cliff top to make it appear he'd disappeared....

That's a good point. It seems the clothes may have been placed by the cliffs days after she disappeared.

<modsnip>

 

[Tortoise]

This is so confusing.

Why would the police release this dashcam footage now, after having various members of the Elsey family in custody all week?

It's the paper that's released it, not the police. But if this is a case of murder at say 4pm, and police charge the E family, this could potentially be used as evidence that she was still alive at 11pm. I think police may have asked the paper to run it, as it conflicts with where their investigation has taken them, to try to get the person in the footage to come forward and identify themselves as not being Gaia.

 

[jiminy]

BBC article has decent timeline and summary of who has been arrested etc: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-42025046

 

[Tortoise]

If they can be sure that this clothing was not there when searches were first undertaken, then it wasn't a case of Gaia taking them off there. I know that is an obvious deduction but it rules out a suicide.

 

[Alyce]

Surely if the police think anything happened in RD's house, they wouldn't let her out almost immediately to go and collude with other suspects? Surely if they'd found any evidence of death/blood, they wouldn't still be releasing the dashcam footage and having GP's family say they still hope to find her alive?

GP's confrontation was borne of whatever went on on Facebook. The police, her family, even NE and family, must all know what that was, but we're in the dark.

It's a fine line really. They only have a maximum of 96 hours to question.
While they're waiting for forensics results, they dont want to be allowing the clock to tick down by keeping someone in custody. They might need all those hours later in the investigation, when they have more evidence to use against potential suspects.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Surely if the police think anything happened in RD's house, they wouldn't let her out almost immediately to go and collude with other suspects? Surely if they'd found any evidence of death/blood, they wouldn't still be releasing the dashcam footage and having GP's family say they still hope to find her alive?

GP's confrontation was borne of whatever went on on Facebook. The police, her family, even NE and family, must all know what that was, but we're in the dark.

Firstly, I don't think the dashcam footage has been released by police, it was obtained by the Daily Mirror.

Secondly, if the police thought there might be forensic evidence it would take a few days to come back from the lab. As they can only suspects for 96 hours max without a charge, and the lab tests would take longer, it would make more sense to release them.
Additionally, while the house was empty as both residents were in the cells briefly, the police might well have placed a bug, maybe colluding is exactly what they wanted to hear, maybe that's why PE got nicked. Maybe!

Finally, for the benefit of new members and those in the USA who are working this case, this article explains the BIG differences between English and American arrests. I've rolled this out before but I think it's really important for posters who sleuth cases in both countries.

......because it’s a lot easier to arrest someone in the United Kingdom, but being arrested there isn’t a big deal like it is in the United States. American police need probable cause to make an arrest, but in the United Kingdom, officers can arrest on suspicion. Probable cause is defined as the belief that a crime was probably committed, and that the suspect was probably responsible. To have probable cause, greater evidence is required. Reasonable suspicion means that a right-minded individual would have grounds to suspect that a crime had been committed and that the suspect might be responsible.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_..._is_being_arrested_different_in_britain_.html

 

[Mersault]

It's the paper that's released it, not the police. But if this is a case of murder at say 4pm, and police charge the E family, this could potentially be used as evidence that she was still alive at 11pm. I think police may have asked the paper to run it, as it conflicts with where their investigation has taken them, to try to get the person in the footage to come forward and identify themselves as not being Gaia.

That makes sense.

Do you think it was PE?

I keep veering between:

a) she ran out of RD's having a mental health crisis, stripped off on the way, and came to her death at the cliffs - but why would she hide her clothes, in that state, in the dark?
b) she never left RD's, and PE has hidden her body and clothes - but when would he have had the chance to plant the clothes, would RD go to that level of cover-up, and why?

 

[Rosegold68]

Thinking about this further. My question is, have RD and NE been allowed back home? Bailed there?

Because surely that house should be a crime scene?

 

[Tortoise]

That makes sense.

Do you think it was PE?

I keep veering between:

a) she ran out of RD's having a mental health crisis, stripped off on the way, and came to her death at the cliffs - but why would she hide her clothes, in that state, in the dark?
b) she never left RD's, and PE has hidden her body and clothes - but when would he have had the chance to plant the clothes, would RD go to that level of cover-up, and why?

I do think it was PE.

 

[Tortoise]

Thinking about this further. My question is, have RD and NE been allowed back home? Bailed there?

Because surely that house should be a crime scene?

They aren't back home. The houses are still being treated as a crime scene so they are staying in Weymouth with GE, RD's ex-husband.

 

[Mersault]

Thinking about this further. My question is, have RD and NE been allowed back home? Bailed there?

Because surely that house should be a crime scene?

RD's flat is a crime scene. NE actually lives very close by with his mother - not sure if that home is being searched. They're allegedly staying with RD's ex-husband and NE's grandfather, GE.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

That makes sense.

Do you think it was PE?

I keep veering between:

a) she ran out of RD's having a mental health crisis, stripped off on the way, and came to her death at the cliffs - but why would she hide her clothes, in that state, in the dark?
b) she never left RD's, and PE has hidden her body and clothes - but when would he have had the chance to plant the clothes, would RD go to that level of cover-up, and why?

I'm veering too!!

a) because stripping clothes off is a classic sign off hypothermia. The colder you get the hotter you feel. It is common to find hypothermic people naked.

b) it does seem like a daft place to "hide" clothes, unless, like you say, it was an intentional plant. I think if I wanted to hide clothes I'd just put them in a random bin somewhere. It's all a bit weird!

 

[Tortoise]

I'm veering too!!

a) because stripping clothes off is a classic sign off hypothermia. The colder you get the hotter you feel. It is common to find hypothermic people naked.

b) it does seem like a daft place to "hide" clothes, unless, like you say, it was an intentional plant. I think if I wanted to hide clothes I'd just put them in a random bin somewhere. It's all a bit weird!

BBM But not if you wanted it to look like a suicide.

 

[Alyce]

RD's flat is a crime scene. NE actually lives very close by with his mother - not sure if that home is being searched. They're allegedly staying with RD's ex-husband and NE's grandfather, GE.

The 2 flats at Manor Gardens are still being searched today.
As Tortoise said, RD and NE went to GPEs home - but presumably they have had to move out of there as well, because that home is ( or was ) also being searched.