Found Deceased GUATEMALA - Catherine Shaw, 23, British backpacker, 4 March 2019

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zecats said:
Eating a cookie or in some way partaking in marijuana, might have (in her mind) enhanced the experience of hiking up to the lookout to watch the sunrise. It may also have impaired her judgment and reflex reactions to defend herself and/or prevent herself from falling off.

Possible someone saw her leave the hostel to begin this hike and followed her?

JMO and speculation.
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eating it would have an almost entirely different effect, and you can even hallucinate (it's much stronger). smoking would also impair judgment, but in a slightly different manner, but some people can also really focus. it seems to affect people differently, in my opinion. also depends on tolerance. i am a bit shocked that they would leave a plate of cookies out for unknown guests, bc it can be a terrifying experience when you KNOW you ate it. perhaps that really pissed someone off. ??
 
The end of the trail to the summit is steep and there are lookout platforms. Lookout platforms usually mean that people have fallen in the past so platforms are built to promote safety.

She was using drugs, solo hiking in the dark, sleep deprived (up all night), fasting and potentially dehydrated. It seems that she was showing poor judgement and that led to a tragic accident.

"Her body was found by a search team about 60ft (18m) from the top of the Indian Nose hiking trail on Monday. The Lucie Blackman Trust, which has been helping Ms Shaw's family, said "foul play was probably not involved."
...

He said Ms Shaw had been fasting and she may have passed out or fallen "due to her lack of intake of food and fluid". He added: "She was very much a nature lover and adored sunrises, so it seems quite conceivable that she went up the mountain to greet the sunrise, shedding clothing as she went."​

BBC: Missing Briton died in 'tragic accident'
 
swedeheart said:
maybe i'm getting too cynical with age, although i think it's more about watching/reading too much news, too, but i'm skeptical about this. i do not think it makes a whole lot of sense that it would have been an accident, unless she starting stripping off her jacket and scarf along the way (2 miles?). ok if she was tripping out, she possibly did this, but... why didn't the puppy fall down with her? it was so small, surely she was holding it the whole time, especially if she was close to the edge! and where are the rest of her clothes? if she was naked when she was found, her panties, possible bra, and any other garments would be right there, or along that same trail, right? hmmm. terrible that a woman can't feel safe exploring the world. makes me so angry.
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It sounds like she was not thinking straight, so it's conceivable that she wasn't wearing anything more than her dress and her coat. We heard earlier that she was barefoot. If she was dancing around at the summit, maybe the puppy was on the ground.
 
otto said:
It sounds like she was not thinking straight, so it's conceivable that she wasn't wearing anything more than her dress and her coat. We heard earlier that she was barefoot. If she was dancing around at the summit, maybe the puppy was on the ground.
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Finding a missing person nude and scratched up..I can see why foul play would be considered. It was kind of/sort of irresponsible of whoever to make such a statement without thoroughly investigating details. The other possibility for this is just that...she was high and she took off her clothes because she was high, or hot, or feeling it spiritually...and she fell. She got scratched on the way up on her legs due to nudeness and underbrush. Besides, would a murderer kill her and then take the time to put her body down below the overlook?
 
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zecats said:
Finding a missing person nude and scratched up..I can see why foul play would be considered. It was kind of/sort of irresponsible of whoever to make such a statement without thoroughly investigating details. The other possibility for this is just that...she was high and she took off her clothes because she was high, or hot, or feeling it spiritually...and she fell. She got scratched on the way up on her legs to to nudeness and underbrush. Besides, would a murderer kill her and then take the time to put her body down below the overlook?
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One of the first articles that reported the discovery of her body said that she had lacerations on her legs and other parts of her body. That would be consistent with falling 60 feet - equal to falling from the top of a 5-6 storey building.
 
otto said:
One of the first articles that reported the discovery of her body said that she had lacerations on her legs and other parts of her body. That would be consistent with falling 60 feet - equal to falling from the top of a 5-6 storey building.
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There would be broken bones as well if due to a fall I suppose? In my mind is the agony her poor parents are experiencing, first at her reported missing then hearing/reading it was due to murder before any postmortem examination.
How professional would a postmortem be in Guatemala? What posters have said about it being an extremely poor virtually third world country concerns me if the authorities seem to have already decided on her COD in advance.
 
jessie said:
There would be broken bones as well if due to a fall I suppose? In my mind is the agony her poor parents are experiencing, first at her reported missing then hearing/reading it was due to murder before any postmortem examination.
How professional would a postmortem be in Guatemala? What posters have said about it being an extremely poor virtually third world country concerns me if the authorities seem to have already decided on her COD in advance.
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It has been a bit confusing. Yesterday, the discussion was about police wanting to be at the scene prior to removal of body whereas searchers impatiently wanted to move the body right away. I don't think there is any doubt that the scene and evidence was compromised by searchers. Initial reports were that it was a murder. Today the Lucie Blackman Trust, which has been helping Ms Shaw's family, said "foul play was probably not involved." It seems that clearer heads prevail today.

Regarding health care in 3rd world countries, Cuba has an excellent medical system yet it is a 3rd world country. In any case, the family can request an autopsy in the UK.
 
If Catherine shaw stripped off at the top of the mountain becouse she was high and then fell, I'd imagine the wounds she sustained going down would be of an entirely different nature than that of an attack. I'm thinking more along the lines of large impact bruises, deep scratch marks, grazes, broken bones etc. If she was killed by trauma or force then possibly strangulation, stab wounds or a frenzied deep cuts may be evident. If she was killed at the lookout platform, perhaps the killer (if there was one) simply thrown her off the rock or was killed and then thrown?

A thorough postmortem is the only way to know for sure. The issue I have, (as many others do ) is question whether or not the Guatamalan authorities have the ability and the competance to conduct one or not. If not, she should be frozen and quickly sent to the UK or US for examination.

However, my feeling is that Guatemala will want to step up to the mark and show the world that they can.
 
Hjp said:
If Catherine shaw stripped off at the top of the mountain becouse she was high and then fell, I'd imagine the wounds she sustained going down would be of an entirely different nature than that of an attack. I'm thinking more along the lines of large impact bruises, deep scratch marks, grazes, broken bones etc. If she was killed by trauma or force then possibly strangulation, stab wounds or a frenzied deep cuts may be evident. If she was killed at the lookout platform, perhaps the killer (if there was one) simply thrown her off the rock or was killed and then thrown?

A thorough postmortem is the only way to know for sure. The issue I have, (as many others do ) is question whether or not the Guatamalan authorities have the ability and the competance to conduct one or not. If not, she should be frozen and quickly sent to the UK or US for examination.

However, my feeling is that Guatemala will want to step up to the mark and show the world that they can.
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It looks like a thorough autopsy by experience professionals is possible in Guatemala.

"Guatemala’s large cities are home to several large, modern hospitals, with a full range of well-trained and experienced doctors covering all different specialties.

Public hospitals, run by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare, provide free care to everyone, including tourists, but they will only treat severe health issues, not mundane ailments. They tend to be under-funded and frequently run out of drugs and equipment."​

The healthcare system in Guatemala, Health care in Guatemala
 
Hjp said:
I'm not blaming anyone Bugurl, I'm just pointing out that women wandering off in the dark alone are taking a very real risk of being attacked. As a 23 year old woman I think she should have known better and made a naive decision.

Of course its not her fault in terms of what happened to her.
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I don't think anyone is blaming her for what happened. This being said, there is something to be said for being alert and considering what situations you could get yourself into. A woman, on her own, in a foreign country must be vigilant and think these things through. I feel terrible for her and she absolutely did not deserve what happened to her. Part of being a smart, independent woman is being aware of situations where things can easily get out of our control.
 
Hjp said:
If Catherine shaw stripped off at the top of the mountain becouse she was high and then fell, I'd imagine the wounds she sustained going down would be of an entirely different nature than that of an attack. I'm thinking more along the lines of large impact bruises, deep scratch marks, grazes, broken bones etc. If she was killed by trauma or force then possibly strangulation, stab wounds or frenzied deep cuts may be evident. If she was killed at the lookout platform, perhaps the killer (if there was one) simply thrown her off the rock or was killed and then thrown?

A thorough postmortem is the only way to know for sure. The issue I have, (as many others do ) is questioning whether or not the Guatemalan authorities have the ability and the competence to conduct one or not. If not, she should be frozen and quickly sent to the UK or US for examination.

However, my feeling is that Guatemala will want to step up to the mark and show the world that they can.
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There are so many murders in Guatemala that the experts at INACIF (the forensic teams) should be able to do an autopsy and conclude the cause of death. My bigger concern would be are we getting the truth? Tourism is a big money maker in Guatemala and there is already a US travel advisory to not visit Guatemala unless you have to. If a Guatemalan is murdered little is noted but a tourist is murdered in a tourist area is a different story The press was full of reports last night that this was a murder and now the story has changed. Maybe it was an accident. I am sure of INACIF's competence in doing an autopsy but not so much in getting the real truth about what happened.
 
loraball said:
I don't think anyone is blaming her for what happened. This being said, there is something to be said for being alert and considering what situations you could get yourself into. A woman, on her own, in a foreign country must be vigilant and think these things through. I feel terrible for her and she absolutely did not deserve what happened to her. Part of being a smart, independent woman is being aware of situations where things can easily get out of our control.
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Absolutely. Given the timeline, it looks like she slept for maybe 2 hours before heading out barefoot, carrying a puppy, to hike a volcano that includes some steep terrain. Based on information from the hostel owner, it seems that she thought it was okay to share hash cookies with strangers without telling them that they were being drugged. She was fasting, and there's no information about taking food and a water bottle on her hike. Everything about this sounds like she was mentally "off". She needed someone to sit her down and straighten her out.
 
The other thing is that being found yesterday, she must have been dead up there for nearly a week!. Given the temperature and humidity of central America I wonder what the condition of her corpse was found in. She may have been already extensively decomposing, (not a nice thought I know). That will make the diagnosis of a postmortem much more difficult to acertain I'd imagine.

Let's hope that the family get answers soon so they can begin to come to terms with their loss. Like all parents who's lost a daughter or son, their lives will never be the same.
 
There are photos of her nude on her instagram, she had recently attended a nudist festival. I think that's the implication of 'loving nature' in that Lucie Blackman trust statement.

I think it's worth considering the possibility that she would have stripped naked herself, even if she wasn't high. If you are prepared to post naked pictures on instagram, then it's not less exposing to be naked alone in the middle of nowhere in the early hours.

I know it's a strange thing to hope that someone fell and died in such a way, doing something that they loved, and feeling free. But given the alternative, that is what I hope.
 
Estrella said:
Not sure if I can post a post from one of the rescue team? It has a lot of good information. But it is from Facebook. Does anybody know?
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I've just read a rescuers post on the Finding Catherine page, posted 12 hours ago by Amy F. Is that the one? As a rule we are ok posting official "Find" pages.

Finding Catherine Shaw
 
CoverMeCagney said:
I've just read a rescuers post on the Finding Catherine page, posted 12 hours ago by Amy F. Is that the one? As a rule we are ok posting official "Find" pages.

Finding Catherine Shaw
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And this is nice to know.

Amy F "(by the way, the baby girl pup is with us now thanks to our team tracking her down)"
 
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