Found Deceased Spain - Esther Dingley, from UK, missing in the Pyrenees, November 2020
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She posted on Instagram on the 21st.
Various media outlets & LE have reported that she was seen in person on or *after* the 19th (including the 22nd) by independent witnesses, as well as her having *spoken* on the phone to family members.
Yes, the photo she posted on the 19th of the caban with mattress does look very unappealing, but that’s not typical of where she/one might choose to stay unless there was no other option when in dire straits.
However, in this case, there WERE other options, one of which Esther apparently took, I.e. accepting a lift back down to Benasque & her campervan.
Unless every single independent witness, family members, LE AND CCTV, between the 19th & the 22nd is wrong - even allowing for “lost in translation” moments - I don’t see a reason to doubt that she was alive and hiking on the 21st/22nd and that last known contact was in person on the 22nd.
It was in no way shape or form “banned”.
I wish there were other (more reputable) news outlets continuing to cover this case.
CoverMeCagney
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Agree! Apart from anything else it doesn’t really help the public perception of the case. Oh, she was breaking lockdown was she? Up a mountain on her own was she? Tut tut.
The Daily Mail, while good for photos and occasionally being the first to print actual breaking news (let’s face it, it suits us sometimes!) is just getting more and more desperate for clicks. Better not let accuracy or morality get in the way of ad revenue...
Grouse
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. Nice to see you too!
(For others reading along: “Hooks Up” as featured in my sig and referred to by Lilibet, comes from a missing person case years back which had a very happy ending, after months of desperate sleuthing and untold hours spent on all sorts of theories, speculations, red herrings and minutious poring over every single tiny detail, which -in the end- were irrelevant).
Here's hoping for another one with a happy ending , and hopefully not after months
Thanks for explaining by the way, there a number of abbreviations and things on here that I still don't get as a new user.
Unless ED had a complete change of plan, several important people, including the Guardia as reported, knew the area she planned to hike, from the day she disappeared. There has been an extensive, intensive search along the route, both from the Spanish and French side, described as looking in cracks in the rocks and where there are drops, including the established trails. We are told they have found nothing at all to indicate ED had been present. Other serious possibilities are now being investigated.
We know that ED has experienced debilitating conditions, and some depression in previous years. It has been reported that her life with DC was not as "idyllic" as social media suggests. Whatever that means, and who is the judge here.
Nevertheless I struggle with any idea ED has voluntary harmed herself. Partly because that is alien to me, but mostly because she contacted DC and her father on the eve of her disappearance. I'm not sure people that seriously depressed indulge in that level of torment to themselves or others, but just withdraw from them
Other than a deranged person being on the mountains, if she got to the mountain, my fear is the water and the ice at this time of year.
We know that ED has experienced debilitating conditions, and some depression in previous years. It has been reported that her life with DC was not as "idyllic" as social media suggests. Whatever that means, and who is the judge here.
Nevertheless I struggle with any idea ED has voluntary harmed herself. Partly because that is alien to me, but mostly because she contacted DC and her father on the eve of her disappearance. I'm not sure people that seriously depressed indulge in that level of torment to themselves or others, but just withdraw from them
Other than a deranged person being on the mountains, if she got to the mountain, my fear is the water and the ice at this time of year.
Here's hoping for another one with a happy ending , and hopefully not after months
Thanks for explaining by the way, there a number of abbreviations and things on here that I still don't get as a new user.
Please just ask if/when there are references, abbreviations, etc that you don’t understand - most of us don’t bite
, and we were all newbies too at some point too .
Grouse
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Just revisited this on google street view and changed my mind on what I said about scrub land and not expecting to find campervans parked there. On the timeline option where you can look at earlier shots, the shot from 2012 shows it clearly is a car park, and there is even a campervan on it too.
So this ties in with witness reports about her using a car park, and looks pretty likely to be the location where Esther had been staying.
Blondiexoxo
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What do we think about a possible depressive/paranoid episode? If ‘life wasn’t as idyllic portrayed in social media’ it could hint at her struggling with her mental health. A paranoid episode could explain her challenging the store clerk, going up the same mountain twice, abandoning her camper and the random fruit query. Travelling alone leaves you a lot of time with your thoughts, a mixed manic episode can present itself suddenly with little or no warning. The spelling mistakes in the final FB post could also be from typing quickly and missing letters/words getting autocorrected. If you’re having a manic episode your thoughts are racing and jumbled.
Esther seems very determined to conquer her doubts and fears about things which makes me worry she could have ignored her instinct and ended up in danger. Maybe she felt fearless and wanted to take risks. To accept a ride from a stranger is very risky.
Or, I wonder if she could have ingested something on her trip that caused psychological symptoms. What if she found and ate some ‘fruit’ that wasn’t safe to eat? A less likely theory but there’s a lot of possibilities
Esther seems very determined to conquer her doubts and fears about things which makes me worry she could have ignored her instinct and ended up in danger. Maybe she felt fearless and wanted to take risks. To accept a ride from a stranger is very risky.
Or, I wonder if she could have ingested something on her trip that caused psychological symptoms. What if she found and ate some ‘fruit’ that wasn’t safe to eat? A less likely theory but there’s a lot of possibilities
The manager of the refuge described ED as happy relaxed with no unusual behaviour. The others she met albeit briefly didn't suggest unusual behaviour, or presentation e.g. Mr Barino,and the Olympic skier.The woman in the shop saw her doing yoga but nothing generally odd. Apart from spelling etc, the post on Facebook doesn't seem rambling or irrational. We don't know about her contact with DC or her father, who know her well, and whether or not they might have had some concerns.
Okay, please bear with my speculative and utterly JMO (just my opinion) thoughts which follow:
TL : DR :Sadly I lean heavily towards an accident on or near Esther’s putative hiking route.
IF there were any *real* possibility of foul play, or a voluntary disappearance (i.e. Esther took off on her own for whatever reason), there would/should be multiple continuing appeals & notifications, a “have you seen this person” campaign from both/either LE authorities AND family/friends..
There isn’t any such campaign happening. And I’ve been following media outlets and LE (authorities) in UK, France, Spain statements from when her disappearance first became public. In fact I first heard about her going missing from a mutual acquaintance’s article in UK media (NOT the DM)
Treading lightly: the last “statement” I can find from quoted official searchers/LE on the Spanish side suggests IMO that they think she’s up in the mountains, somewhere, but they just didn’t find her in time before weather conditions halted the search.
Same goes for the French side regarding weather conditions, except that there was a statement made at one point that they found no trace of her making it to the refuge Venasque, which IMO has been twisted/quoted/sensationalized into “she’s not up there (on the trail/mountain)” at all, when they may have been referring to their territory.
The French “side” of LE has also been repeatedly quoted as saying that Esther’s partner of 18 years is not a suspect and also that they checked his “movements”/whereabouts.
To summarize:
- I do not personally think that there has been any foul play. I think Esther had some sort of accident up in the hills. I could be very wrong, but I see no indication of any other viable possibility/theory at the moment.
TL : DR :Sadly I lean heavily towards an accident on or near Esther’s putative hiking route.
IF there were any *real* possibility of foul play, or a voluntary disappearance (i.e. Esther took off on her own for whatever reason), there would/should be multiple continuing appeals & notifications, a “have you seen this person” campaign from both/either LE authorities AND family/friends..
There isn’t any such campaign happening. And I’ve been following media outlets and LE (authorities) in UK, France, Spain statements from when her disappearance first became public. In fact I first heard about her going missing from a mutual acquaintance’s article in UK media (NOT the DM)
Treading lightly: the last “statement” I can find from quoted official searchers/LE on the Spanish side suggests IMO that they think she’s up in the mountains, somewhere, but they just didn’t find her in time before weather conditions halted the search.
Same goes for the French side regarding weather conditions, except that there was a statement made at one point that they found no trace of her making it to the refuge Venasque, which IMO has been twisted/quoted/sensationalized into “she’s not up there (on the trail/mountain)” at all, when they may have been referring to their territory.
The French “side” of LE has also been repeatedly quoted as saying that Esther’s partner of 18 years is not a suspect and also that they checked his “movements”/whereabouts.
To summarize:
- I do not personally think that there has been any foul play. I think Esther had some sort of accident up in the hills. I could be very wrong, but I see no indication of any other viable possibility/theory at the moment.
From your link ... I find this interesting. Most people follow the covid rules, some people look for ways to get around the rules. France was in lockdown, but if she could get to Spanish side of the Pyrenees, she could hike. She found a way to get around the rules. Did she like to push boundaries, perhaps moreso as she was closer to the end of a hike?
Every time I read about the possibility of sliding down the mountain straight into the deep lake while wearing a backpack, I am reminded of Michel Trudeau (brother of Prime Minister Trudeau), who, due to avalanche or unstable snow conditions, slid down the mountain into the lake and has never been found.
"The trip was banned under French lockdown laws which forbid people from travelling more than half a mile from home or walking for more than an hour.
...
Miss Dingley, described by friends as a very experienced hiker, was then due to walk between Port de la Gléré and Port de Venasque - a route of some eight miles - before hiking down from the mountains on Wednesday.
French authorities say the search is made more difficult because the country was in lockdown at the time, meaning the trails were deserted with few witnesses."
Missing travel blogger was on banned hike when she vanished | Daily Mail Online...
Miss Dingley, described by friends as a very experienced hiker, was then due to walk between Port de la Gléré and Port de Venasque - a route of some eight miles - before hiking down from the mountains on Wednesday.
French authorities say the search is made more difficult because the country was in lockdown at the time, meaning the trails were deserted with few witnesses."
Lockdown rules in France
Coronavirus: what is the current situation in France?
She was travelling for a month. At that time, in France, where she was living, these were the rules:
Coronavirus: what is the current situation in France?
"29 October
In his televised address, President Macron announced that France will go into a second national lockdown from Friday 30th October, lasting until at least the end of November. Non-essential businesses will close, although factories and schools will remain open. As with the first lockdown in the spring, people will need to fill in a form to leave their home and will only be allowed to do so to buy essential goods, for emergencies, for one hour’s worth of exercise or for essential work. Travel between regions will be banned."
By Nov 24, people were allowed to travel 20km from home and to exercise for 3 hours.In his televised address, President Macron announced that France will go into a second national lockdown from Friday 30th October, lasting until at least the end of November. Non-essential businesses will close, although factories and schools will remain open. As with the first lockdown in the spring, people will need to fill in a form to leave their home and will only be allowed to do so to buy essential goods, for emergencies, for one hour’s worth of exercise or for essential work. Travel between regions will be banned."
Coronavirus: what is the current situation in France?
It helps to understand how/why the (France) Covid “lockdown” is irrelevant -IMO- if one recalls/checks that the rules “forbidding” travel on the French side of the border came in AFTER Esther went to Spain.
She even mentions herself that she “got out” to Spain just before the 2nd French lockdown came into effect. Probably/possibly deliberately?
Hiking etc is/was not prohibited in the area of Spain she was in.
CoverMeCagney
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She did a flit to Spain before the French lockdown started, she said as much on the FB page. So what were/are the Spanish rules? Presumably less stringent, hence her crossing the border for a more free life, rather than being stuck at the house with nowhere to go.
EDIT- Sorry, sjm, just seen you already clarified this!
Lockdowns are always announced a couple of days before they are implemented, giving people ample opportunity to travel away from lockdown regions. Perhaps she did leave France just before the lockdown. Perhaps this was to avoid the lockdown, and perhaps it was the plan regardless of lockdown. Either way, the result was that fewer people were on the trails that she was on between France and Spain - fewer witnesses.
Having looked more closely at the trails, I think it's a real possibility that she lost her footing. This site has lots of photos of the area
She would have taken this route from the summit to the port de Vanasque and headed to the refuge/hostel in France.
Randonnée Pic Sauvegarde 2738m – Les Topos Pyrénées par Mariano
CoverMeCagney
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A media advisory announcement from the Esther & Dan FB page:
Esther & Dan
EDIT: LBT Global is the renamed Lucie Blackman Trust. For those that don't know, they help support families of being missing or murdered abroad.
Esther & Dan
EDIT: LBT Global is the renamed Lucie Blackman Trust. For those that don't know, they help support families of being missing or murdered abroad.
PommyMommy
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Grain of salt (Daily Fail)...
DEC 10, 2020
Search for Esther Dingley: Spanish police say it's 'impossible' and all but give up | Daily Mail Online
The boyfriend of missing British hiker Esther Dingley has called for a full investigation into the mystery figure spotted sleeping in his girlfriend’s campervan 10 days after she went missing.
[...]
Sources close to the case insist the person pictured in the Chausson van late at night was not Mr Colgate, with whom she has been travelling with for six years.
[...]
But Matt Searle, spokesman for Esther’s family and Mr Colgate, told MailOnline: ‘Daniel and Esther’s family are extremely interested to find out who was inside the camper with the lights on.
[...]
Officers ruled out the van sighting, claiming it was a plain clothed forensic officer – working late at night without protective clothing and driving an unmarked vehicle.
[...]
While Spanish investigators believe Esther is most likely to have suffered an accident in the mountains, their French counterparts across the border believe that is ‘not probable’.
They fear her disappearance is ‘either the result of a voluntary act or as the result of someone else’s actions’.
[...]
Today her family recruited the help of Mr Searle, who works for the missing persons abroad charity LBT Global, formerly known as the Lucie Blackman Trust, who was killed in Japan in 2000 while working as a bar hostess.
Mr Searle told MailOnline the charity would be using all its resources to look for Esther and urged the Guardia Civil to do the same.
[...]
In the supermarket, the Chia seeds had been marked at a discount which only applied to shoppers in possession of a store loyalty card, MC - the teacher who helped Ms Dingley in the shop - explained.
MC told MailOnline: ‘Esther wanted to buy a packet of Chia seeds which were discounted. But you only get the discount if you have the Eroski loyalty card.
[...]
MC explained: ‘I saw her a couple of days later doing yoga in the street by her camper van.
[...]
DEC 10, 2020
Search for Esther Dingley: Spanish police say it's 'impossible' and all but give up | Daily Mail Online
The boyfriend of missing British hiker Esther Dingley has called for a full investigation into the mystery figure spotted sleeping in his girlfriend’s campervan 10 days after she went missing.
[...]
Sources close to the case insist the person pictured in the Chausson van late at night was not Mr Colgate, with whom she has been travelling with for six years.
[...]
But Matt Searle, spokesman for Esther’s family and Mr Colgate, told MailOnline: ‘Daniel and Esther’s family are extremely interested to find out who was inside the camper with the lights on.
[...]
Officers ruled out the van sighting, claiming it was a plain clothed forensic officer – working late at night without protective clothing and driving an unmarked vehicle.
[...]
While Spanish investigators believe Esther is most likely to have suffered an accident in the mountains, their French counterparts across the border believe that is ‘not probable’.
They fear her disappearance is ‘either the result of a voluntary act or as the result of someone else’s actions’.
[...]
Today her family recruited the help of Mr Searle, who works for the missing persons abroad charity LBT Global, formerly known as the Lucie Blackman Trust, who was killed in Japan in 2000 while working as a bar hostess.
Mr Searle told MailOnline the charity would be using all its resources to look for Esther and urged the Guardia Civil to do the same.
[...]
In the supermarket, the Chia seeds had been marked at a discount which only applied to shoppers in possession of a store loyalty card, MC - the teacher who helped Ms Dingley in the shop - explained.
MC told MailOnline: ‘Esther wanted to buy a packet of Chia seeds which were discounted. But you only get the discount if you have the Eroski loyalty card.
[...]
MC explained: ‘I saw her a couple of days later doing yoga in the street by her camper van.
[...]
CoverMeCagney
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Please note: part of this statement says "police have confirmed that the light seen in the campervan was due to their presence"
Grouse
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<snipped for focus>
I keep coming back to thinking about the lakes as well. Don't know if I missed something, but I've read about helicopters,drones and dogs being used, has anyone seen anything about divers? Have the lakes actually been searched? One of the witnesses Snr Ballarin has mentioned the lakes are "quite deep and not transparent at all in a lot of parts" so an overhead check by drone/helicopter might not be enough. Appreciate they might be frozen by now though.
<modsnip> I almost put a note/caveat in my last few posts warning about DM “lifting” speculation/interpretation they read here (or in comments elsewhere), but decided that would be too provocative
.I’m glad that family have found support & have a designated spokesperson. Hopefully the spokesperson will be able to communicate directly with investigators & elucidate the *facts*.
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