Found Deceased Cambodia - Amelia Bambridge, 21, UK backpacker, Koh Rong, 23 Oct 2019

[The Night Watchman]

Maybe it is just me, but I find the idea of Amelia swimming in her clothes unfathomable. I have never done it, see no reason that anyone would, and think it would be unpleasant walking in the tropics in wet clothes.

So an accident or murder, IMO. Someone offered her a boat ride and things went bad? Explains clothes and her belongings on shore.

Pretty safe to say that I will believe nothing that Cambodian LE states about an accident.

 

[Chiatos]

It sounds like she put her bag on the rock and got into the water. High tide was at 5:16AM. Although her last photos to family were at 3:23AM, making that the last confirmed contact with family, that doesn't mean she vanished at that time. If she went into the water at 5:30AM, when there was "very high activity" ocean current pulling away from the Island, she could have been in trouble very quickly.

View attachment 212497
Tide times and charts for Kaoh Kong, Cambodia and weather forecast for fishing in Kaoh Kong in 2019

View attachment 212498

Good info.
But: wouldn't her bag have got soaking wet on that low rock with high tide?
Or better: wouldn't it have washed away?

 

[Chiatos]

Good research on the tides and the possible timing of her swim. Though an autopsy is still needed, your research does support the death being an accidental drowning of an intoxicated victim.

But it does not support the fact that her bag remained completely dry

 

[otto]

Maybe it is just me, but I find the idea of Amelia swimming in her clothes unfathomable. I have never done it, see no reason that anyone would, and think it would be unpleasant walking in the tropics in wet clothes.

So an accident or murder, IMO. Someone offered her a boat ride and things went bad? Explains clothes and her belongings on shore.

Pretty safe to say that I will believe nothing that Cambodian LE states about an accident.

Sure, but looking at photos of what she was wearing at the party, I can't even tell whether she was wearing shorts. What I mean is that she had on a light blouse and probably some very short shorts. It's not unusual to go into the ocean dressed like that, especially if she was drinking, using drugs, dancing and wanted to cool off.

 

[The Night Watchman]

Good info.
But: wouldn't her bag have got soaking wet on that low rock with high tide?
Or better: wouldn't it have washed away?

I am not sure of the height of the rock and the tides. But it was coming up on high tide, so I would think that she placed it above what she thought would be a safe place with respect to the tide level (most people do this).

But if her dry bag was found below the high tide level, well, then we have a real problem.

 

[otto]

Good info.
But: wouldn't her bag have got soaking wet on that low rock with high tide?
Or better: wouldn't it have washed away?

If the bag was put there at high tide, then it would have been above water as the tide went out.

 

[zecats]

Maybe it is just me, but I find the idea of Amelia swimming in her clothes unfathomable. I have never done it, see no reason that anyone would, and think it would be unpleasant walking in the tropics in wet clothes.

So an accident or murder, IMO. Someone offered her a boat ride and things went bad? Explains clothes and her belongings on shore.

Pretty safe to say that I will believe nothing that Cambodian LE states about an accident.

She may not have intended to go in the water, only to splash herself to cool off or to wade a bit. Being possibly intoxicated she easily could have lost her balance. Do the rocks continue into the water where she might have hit her head?

And I definitely have gone into the water (ocean) with clothes on, light summer shorts and top, so not much different than a bathing suit. When you want to take a dip and it's too far to go to change, then why not?

 

[otto]

She may not have intended to go in the water, only to splash herself to cool off or to wade a bit. Being possibly intoxicated she easily could have lost her balance. Do the rocks continue into the water where she might have hit her head?

And I definitely have gone into the water (ocean) with clothes on, light summer shorts and top, so not much different than a bathing suit. When you want to take a dip and it's too far to go to change, then why not?

There are a number of photos of her in the water, so maybe it's safe to assume that she was a swimmer. If so, it wouldn't be unusual to float on her back, starring at the stars, listening to the music, and unaware that the tide was pulling her away from shore. It doesn't take long to be in trouble with the ocean.

 

[Wowno17]

I can possibly stretch to going in wearing clothes but where are her shoes? Surely she wouldn't go swimming with her shoes / flip flops on (I certainly wouldn't).

Would any of you?

I understand they may have washed away but then surely they would have been next to her bag, and surely the bag would have been wet? Maybe the heat in the morning could have dried any wetness on the bag?

The shoes bug me though!

 

[otto]

I can possibly stretch to going in wearing clothes but where are her shoes? Surely she wouldn't go swimming with her shoes / flip flops on (I certainly wouldn't).

Would any of you?

I understand they may have washed away but then surely they would have been next to her bag, and surely the bag would have been wet? Maybe the heat in the morning could have dried any wetness on the bag?

The shoes bug me though!

If she put her bag on the rock at high tide, around 5:15AM, the bag would not be wet before or after she disappeared. She may have had water shoes - probably a good idea since bugs and worms are problematic in the sand at night.

 

[otto]

I'm inclined to think that Amelia made a terrible mistake by partying in the middle of the night with friendly strangers in a foreign country, she saw no harm in putting her backpack on a rock while she floated for a while to cool off. She did not use the buddy system, so no one was aware of what she was doing, and it cost her life.

 

[Chiatos]

If the bag was put there at high tide, then it would have been above water as the tide went out.

The bag was found on this rock at low tide. Low tide = almost 1m lower than high tide.

At high tide the seawater would have been 1 meter higher than at the time the bag was found.
At high tide, the bag would have been washed away.

It seems to me that the bag was put there at low tide after high tide had retreated.

 

[Mersault]

Sure, but looking at photos of what she was wearing at the party, I can't even tell whether she was wearing shorts. What I mean is that she had on a light blouse and probably some very short shorts. It's not unusual to go into the ocean dressed like that, especially if she was drinking, using drugs, dancing and wanted to cool off.

She was wearing beige cycling shorts. They'd probably dry pretty quickly.

The bag was found on this rock at low tide. Low tide = almost 1m lower than high tide.

At high tide the seawater would have been 1 meter higher than at the time the bag was found.
At high tide, the bag would have been washed away.

It seems to me that the bag was put there at low tide after high tide had retreated.

One thing to remember is that the photo of the bag on the rock is highly unlikely to be the exact place it was left. The bar staff found it by 11.30am and would have brought it in to check for ID etc, then placed it back there for the photo. It could have originally been on a higher rock or down a crevice.

 

[Mersault]

If she put her bag on the rock at high tide, around 5:15AM, the bag would not be wet before or after she disappeared. She may have had water shoes - probably a good idea since bugs and worms are problematic in the sand at night.

She's wearing what looks like Birkenstocks in the CCTV, thick soles slip-on sandals with two straps over the foot. However in the photo taken by the fire, she's barefoot.

 

[otto]

The bag was found on this rock at low tide. Low tide = almost 1m lower than high tide.

At high tide the seawater would have been 1 meter higher than at the time the bag was found.
At high tide, the bag would have been washed away.

It seems to me that the bag was put there at low tide after high tide had retreated.

Without standing next to the rock and seeing the tide go in and out, isn't it difficult to say that the bag would have floated away in high tide?

Do we know where on the beach the rock is sitting?

For example, perhaps the bag is 16 or 18 inches in height, and comparing the bag to the rock, it seems that the rock would not be submerged if the tide was a meter or 39 inches higher.

OR, maybe her bag was found at the bar, she went into the water for a few minutes, she floated around a bit and the current took her away, and someone put the bag on the rock and also on a wooden table to photograph it.

 

[Cryptic]

I can possibly stretch to going in wearing clothes but where are her shoes? Surely she wouldn't go swimming with her shoes / flip flops on (I certainly wouldn't). Would any of you?

Regarding the shoes, it might be best to think of the totality of the situation:

- Rocky beach, with possible sharp rocks that the victim would not be able to see at night.
- Possibility broken bottles amongst the rocks from other revelers.
- Possibility of algae or sea weed type plants on the bottom- no danger of stubbing toes, but might be well, "icky" if unable to see the patches at night and wade around them.

Given the totality, there is the possible scenario of:

Intoxicated victim goes for a short “wade ” as the designated bathrooms are uhmm….. not only tropical, but not well maintained (triple “Ick”-makes possible broken bottles, rocks and algae seem easy). To avoid rocks, glass and algae, she keeps her flip flops on.

The intoxicated victim wades in during the outgoing tide. Then, either slips into deeper water, or steps off an underwater ‘shelf’. Perhaps she is not a good swimmer either. She then panics and exhausts herself trying to fight the tide back to the beach.

 

[Chiatos]

Without standing next to the rock and seeing the tide go in and out, isn't it difficult to say that the bag would have floated away in high tide?

Do we know where on the beach the rock is sitting?

For example, perhaps the bag is 16 or 18 inches in height, and comparing the bag to the rock, it seems that the rock would not be submerged if the tide was a meter or 39 inches higher.

OR, maybe her bag was found at the bar, she went into the water for a few minutes, she floated around a bit and the current took her away, and someone put the bag on the rock and also on a wooden table to photograph it.

Yes we know where the rock is: there are some images of the rock.
Here is a close up of Amelia's bag lying on a table:

It is quite small. A finger is pointing at the bag and a cell phone is lying beside it.

As for high tide, it comes with waves. Waves would have washed over that rock, taking away the bag.

If someone other than Amelia has placed the bag on that rock without coming forward about it, then he or she is acting wrongly.

 

[JerseyGirl]

The waves would not be ocean size, this side is more gulf size waves.

 

[jiffajaffa31]

I've been following this case since she was first reported missing, very sad to see this outcome.

I did initially think someone was responsible for her disappearance, particulary as her father mentioned she was quite safety- conscious and you can see in the photos she is always wearing her bag.
Based on that i thought odd that she would be happy to leave her bag unattended rather than with a friend, but then as people have pointed out there may have been a false sense of security here.
I do remember seeing this photo of her at the party and thinking that she looks quite red faced and hot, possibly from dancing etc.. obviously it depends on the autopsy but I now think it might be a possibility she decided to cool off in the sea, although whether she would do this alone I'm not sure about.
Also the fact that it seems fairly commonplace for people at these types of beach parties to use the sea to go to the toilet in also has made me think it may not be too far fetched that she would go into the water

 

[Elainera]

Oh no! Just saw the news

Not surprised but it's very very sad.

RIP Amelia. I hope she didn't suffer.