Found Deceased Spain - Esther Dingley, from UK, missing in the Pyrenees, Nov 2020 #7

[FrostOwl]

Esther Dingley, a British woman who have been travelling Europe for six years, is missing during a solo hike in the French Pyrenees. She was last heard from last Sunday when she last spoke to her partner from a mountain top.
UK woman who has travelled Europe for six years goes missing in Pyrenees

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[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

It has been posted twice before in Esther's threads that suggesting her disappearance is a hoax is not allowed. It is not victim friendly, and such posts will be removed along with all responses.

ZERO TOLERANCE. Any future posts of this nature will absolutely result in a loss of posting privileges.

 

[Sillybilly]

Missing Brit hiker Esther Dingley 'was last seen by woman who gave her food'

As this has now been reported on MSM (even if it is The Sun), I guess it means we are allowed to discuss this sighting of Esther mentioned on Esther & Dan's facebook by French woman MB. I think the Sun have got it wrong by saying it was hours before she was last seen though, as MB had said it was October 31st when she saw Esther.

Members may discuss the MSM article but are still not allowed to sleuth MB's social media.

Also, a reminder to use initials for individuals who are neither victim or a POI/suspect.

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

This post lands at random.

There is an ongoing cleanup of this thread. In the meantime, stop with the judgmental posts and the trashing of the victims. It is no way productive in trying to find out what has happened to Esther.

ETA: Be careful what you wish for ... when someone says Goodbye, we are very polite and say Goodbye in return.

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

This post lands at random.

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We now have a discussion sprinkled with unsupported, possible misinformation and members are discussing as if it is fact (i.e. search dogs stopped at a certain point ....). We only have X number of Moderators and it is impossible for us to go back through entire threads and remove all misinformation and all responses to that information. We rely on our members to let us know as soon as there is a problem when posts violate Websleuths Terms of Service. This is especially important when it is a matter of misinformation or info that is not supported by approved links. No member has special dispensation to state information as fact without backing it up with links to WS approved sources unless they are Verified by Websleuths.

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[Mel79]

RSBM - it's interesting to see from that angle. Though those slopes look be a bit too steep for me, I can see how a young and very fit Esther might have thought, after ascending to the port from the French side, might as well bag one last peak before descending back down to the campervan.

ETA: have marked a possible way up that looks maybe feasible, depend on how it goes beyond the top of my yellow line, might loop back left and be not too steep?

This is a google earth link so you can play around with the view angles of the site:

http://www.grpdesbf.nl/esfr-mapdata...a-331-332-shortcut-via-lacdelamontagnette.kml

It's the Esther Dingley area - with the pink trail being the shortcut from Refuge Vanesque to the base of Port de la Glere path

I think I can see a couple of routes that might be doable with a pack on, but it's hard to tell without being there. Here are a few more pictures from slightly different angles:

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pphoTrp23E/XaQm1PxH5oI/AAAAAAAAUiY/38003wX7KmIDKBPcNy7ZaXooEHrGkxA_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/puerto+la+glera.jpg

https://s2.wklcdn.com/image_0/3958/20036701/12533066Master.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MNwMP9kERfw/XaQmKoryoJI/AAAAAAAAUiA/L6ir3fBeMeYgr4KI2n10ObSkJdkMSMwygCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Ib%C3%B3n+Gorgutes2.jpg

The third picture has a human being for scale. I can't find good pictures of the unphotogenic, fractured north face. It's usually in shade, and there's nowhere to stand to take them.

I found the shadows hadn't been added into earlier imagery on Google Earth, so you can view the face back in time. For example, here from 2006 with the yellow pin behind, showing the point that people have been suggesting she may have left the path to access the Pic from. The face might be a bit different now though of course!

 

[CoverMeCagney]

The death of a British hiker in the Pyrenees was an accident, French police have said.
A source told the BBC she suffered injuries associated with a fall and though the cause was unclear, her shoes "were not adequate for icy conditions".
He also said French officers had confirmed Mr Colegate, who was 100 miles away in France when Ms Dingley, 37, disappeared, was not a suspect.
Esther Dingley: Hiker's Pyrenees death an accident, police say

 

[Grouse]

The death of a British hiker in the Pyrenees was an accident, French police have said.
A source told the BBC she suffered injuries associated with a fall and though the cause was unclear, her shoes "were not adequate for icy conditions".
He also said French officers had confirmed Mr Colegate, who was 100 miles away in France when Ms Dingley, 37, disappeared, was not a suspect.
Esther Dingley: Hiker's Pyrenees death an accident, police say

So is that the verdict already then? I read earlier that the guy in charge of the investigation was allowing his team a month to work on it. Maybe they didn't need that long to come to a conclusion?

I have to say in all the talk there has been about kit on here, I wasn't actually expecting it to be mentioned quite so explicitly in the end.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

It’s not the verdict verdict, but they seem pretty sure (knowing where she fell and how she landed) that it looks like an accident. Whether her shoes explicitly caused it we will probably never know, but it seems a credible link to her falling than some of the other scenarios.

 

[Grouse]

It’s not the verdict verdict, but they seem pretty sure (knowing where she fell and how she landed) that it looks like an accident. Whether her shoes explicitly caused it we will probably never know, but it seems a credible link to her falling than some of the other scenarios.

Yeah, seems a little early for a verdict verdict. From what we know seems there's more to be done yet before it can be signed off, analysis of the phone for a start.

 

[Satchie]

I don't think officials can prove there was ice that she slipped on. It's just more of this endless speculation.

Sometimes you step on a loose place that sets you off balance.

A big pack can make getting your balance back much harder.

Possibly she had her phone out to take photos, and that distracted her.

I really don't believe that Esther made some kind of fatal mistake in setting off on the hike, that led to the inevitability of her death. It's just a human body constantly fighting gravity: sometimes gravity wins.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

I totally agree, Satch. We will probably never know why Esther fell, because she is the only one that was there. The only hope is that they can access her phone and photos, which should at least prove the route she took.

It’s such a shame it’s taken 8 months to find her, as it is solely the time frame that has fuelled speculation.

 

[ZaZara]

So is that the verdict already then? I read earlier that the guy in charge of the investigation was allowing his team a month to work on it. Maybe they didn't need that long to come to a conclusion?

I have to say in all the talk there has been about kit on here, I wasn't actually expecting it to be mentioned quite so explicitly in the end.

BBM


He had already said that when only the part of the skull had been found and that was all the forensic investigators had to work with. Once the remains had been found, they had a lot more to go on.

Just as well French LE did not wait to inform the family that Esther's death had been instant.

 

[Grouse]

He had already said that when only the part of the skull had been found and that was all the forensic investigators had to work with. Once the remains had been found, they had a lot more to go on.

Ah OK, cheers for that, should be a verdict sooner than a month then hopefully, then the family can begin to move on.

Just as well French LE did not wait to inform the family that Esther's death had been instant.

Yes some comfort to be gained from that.

 

[Hope4More]

I totally agree, Satch. We will probably never know why Esther fell, because she is the only one that was there. The only hope is that they can access her phone and photos, which should at least prove the route she took.

It’s such a shame it’s taken 8 months to find her, as it is solely the time frame that has fuelled speculation.

Speculators gonna speculate no matter what, and I'm willing to bet some will stick to the conclusions they reached, no matter what is said by investigators. The way of the world and all that.

What matters is that ED's loved ones seem to have remained united & mutually trusting & supportive over their long, terrible wait, and so hopefully will now too, after finally knowing.

 

[Satchie]

It is solely the time frame that has fuelled speculation.

Well, not 'solely'. George Mallory and his climbing partner were missing for 75 years on Everest, and no one speculated about anything. They were known to have been climbing Everest, ergo they must have died while climbing Everest.

No, it's something else fueling this tendency to speculate. I could speculate, but I don't want to waste anyone's time. It is what it is.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Well, not 'solely'. George Mallory and his climbing partner were missing for 75 years on Everest, and no one speculated about anything. They were known to have been climbing Everest, ergo they must have died while climbing Everest.

No, it's something else fueling this tendency to speculate. I could speculate, but I don't want to waste anyone's time. It is what it is.

What I mean is, if she’d been found within a matter of days it would all have been forgotten about months ago. We certainly wouldn’t have done 6000+ posts on it here.

 

[poirotoupierrot]

Worth bearing in mind, despite all our speculation, the very obvious problem of being high up in the Winter in the Pyrenees during a global pandemic when one is tired and perhaps distracted. Esther isn't the only person to lose her life in the Winter in the Pyrenees. Descriptions in the press make it sound such a harrowing discovery. I hope they can take comfort in her lack of suffering, and that moments before she died she was entirely happy. I still entertain theories about her mental health - but I don't blame anyone. I feel we all need better self-awareness and long for the day when we are all better as people as struggles aren't seen as weaknesses so much as learning-curves. It's a shame a struggle in the mountains can end in death. I wonder if walking alone in the mountains should be outlawed? Or is that too stringent? I just feel I don't want more people to be lost. And I'd be discriminating against myself as I love walking alone when the conditions are right. As people have mentioned though, if something happened to me I wouldn't want people who have families and dependents risking their lives to retrieve me. Knowing Esther's respect for Nature, I'm not sure she would either. I really hope it was an instant sleep and none of her loved ones are in pain they can't carry.

39 morts dans les Alpes et Pyrénées : la montagne a tué deux fois plus que les années précédentes

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Kind words @poirotoupierrot, and timely, as I’ve just seen this pop up on FB. As mental health has been much discussed here, I hope it is apt.

 

[Scatcat]

Hi I'm a newbie I feel so sorry for Dan and Esthers family and friends, I've been lurking through the threads and I'm impressed by the sleuthing, I have no experience of maps or anything, I just think she fell I don't know why, I just hope she didn't suffer.