Found Deceased Spain - Esther Dingley, from UK, missing in the Pyrenees, November 2020 #4

[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 have 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.

 

[otto]

This photo, taken Nov 22, shows snow on the top of the mountain in the sun. Snow is slippery. There might have been more snow after crossing the border at the Port de Venasque.



Durham van traveller Esther Dingley missing in Pyrenees

 

[otto]

I wanted to respond to earlier comments that maps are confusing. I agree. I've added dates and locations to this map. I can add trails as well, but I'm curious whether this helps.

1. Nov 21 arrives at Hospice de Benasque
2. hikes to Pic de Sauvegarde, arrives 1 PM
3. overnights at Cabana la Basurtas
4. Nov 22 hikes to Pic de Sauvegarde, 3:30 - 4:10 PM
5. intends to cross border from Spain to France at Port de Venasque
6. intends to overnight at Refuge de Venasque
7. intends to hike Port de la Glere Trail
8. intends to cross border from France to Spain at Port de la Glere
9. intends to return to Hospice de Benasque, then to Benasque to retrieve her van

 

[PeggyHenry]

Someone mentioned this before on the thread- why didn’t Esther just carry on with her hike after reaching the pic on 21st?

I find myself focusing on this. Why return the following day at an unusual time of day?
Why no Facebook posts after 19th - up until 19th it appears to have been a daily routine to post for over two weeks. For me this is when something occurred to interrupt her schedule, the 20th November .. I’m imagining she had communications with someone that made her focus on ‘other things’. She gets on her way on 21st and climbs the peak.. sending an Instagram post. I believe that during this time she is arranging to meet the person who has been communicating with her and what better place to meet than Pic de Sauvegarde ? She is perhaps looking forward to meeting this person and quite happy to hike the mountain again on 22nd for this purpose. The friend is coming from another direction and won’t get there till later on 22 nd which dictates her timing. Perhaps they will then go in to the refuge and spend the night there. The ‘Maybe I can see you’ comments possibly come into this.. she is waiting for her ‘friend’ to hike towards their meeting and is looking out ... perhaps she sent the messages to wrong person

 

[The_Investigator]

Someone mentioned this before on the thread- why didn’t Esther just carry on with her hike after reaching the pic on 21st?

I find myself focusing on this. Why return the following day at an unusual time of day?
Why no Facebook posts after 19th - up until 19th it appears to have been a daily routine to post for over two weeks. For me this is when something occurred to interrupt her schedule, the 20th November .. I’m imagining she had communications with someone that made her focus on ‘other things’. She gets on her way on 21st and climbs the peak.. sending an Instagram post. I believe that during this time she is arranging to meet the person who has been communicating with her and what better place to meet than Pic de Sauvegarde ? She is perhaps looking forward to meeting this person and quite happy to hike the mountain again on 22nd for this purpose. The friend is coming from another direction and won’t get there till later on 22 nd which dictates her timing. Perhaps they will then go in to the refuge and spend the night there. The ‘Maybe I can see you’ comments possibly come into this.. she is waiting for her ‘friend’ to hike towards their meeting and is looking out ... perhaps she sent the messages to wrong person

Gosh, this is brilliant, so well put that I can see in its simplicity it is a possibility. She had met a group to walk with during this ‘break’, and had just walked with a single friend a day or so before, so yes, perhaps she was packing in all those social interactions she could before being back with DC and isolation. She kept in contact with people she met during her travels, not sure if DC did, so she probably had loads of possible local contacts to choose from, I wonder if all her friends on Facebook, that were fellow travellers, have been contacted?

 

[The_Investigator]

I don’t know why but I struggle with the idea of Esther and suicide. Lots of people suffer from depression, in many different formats and don’t go as far as committing suicide. It is possible to live with depression, being depressed, life’s toughest moments, without committing suicide. If she did end her life then might she have researched it first? i.e the different ways available to her..
Would she really have walked or jumped into a lake holding on to her poles and everything.
GPS tracing for her stopped shortly after 4 so she must have done it near the Pic de Sauvegarde. I look at her last selfie and see this fresh faced smile .. she doesn’t look like a female about to end her life. She looks like a female in her prime. I know she is struggling in some aspects of her life but it doesn’t mean she had given up on finding solutions. However, it is a possibility.

I’m now wondering then from your words that perhaps she then had someone else, and that was the dilemma, how to move on with them. She looked well, healthy and happy, so I don’t think she was depressed, but perhaps very troubled about what to do? Did her boyfriend find out? Confront them at a vehicle after feeling fobbed off on the last contact? There was a loosening up in terms of checking in, less updates to social media and a new vagueness in the last ones,.. perhaps so happily distracted by the new adventure that was about to start?

 

[Grouse]

<snipped for focus>
Someone mentioned this before on the thread- why didn’t Esther just carry on with her hike after reaching the pic on 21st?

I find myself focusing on this. Why return the following day at an unusual time of day?

It's not that strange and is totally consistent with ED's previous behaviour IMO.

1) ED was known to return to peaks she liked and has posted to that effect before. Also, from the dossier --> https://42cc80b7-be3b-41e3-a85b-18b...d/4addd9_d8c55b489c6f445b96d6324dd882f5a1.pdf on page 20(f) "Some people have questioned why she returned to the same peak twice. The simple answer was that she liked it up there and this hike wasn’t about ‘peak-bagging’ for her"

2) As for the time of day? An ascent timed to arrive at the Pic with adequate time (at least in her and DC's estimation) to make it down to the Refuge de Vanesque at the right time to settle for the night. We know that was consistent with her previous trips - from 19th Nov Login • Instagram " I had the option of staying at a great caban, even had a mattress, but it was only 2pm " (BBM)

 

[Lucy6226]

.....She looked well, healthy and happy, so I don’t think she was depressed....

Snipped

Trust me, plenty of people look happy and healthy whilst depressed and go on to complete suicide. Unless you have done a psych evaluation on someone then you have no way to judge if someone is depressed or not!

 

[Grouse]

<snipped for focus>
There was a loosening up in terms of checking in

Was there? I'm presuming you mean at the Cabanes? Do you have any evidence of previous checking in patterns? Or do you mean checking in with DC? Same question applies.

I think we need to be careful here about turning speculative ideas into facts. MOO.

ETA: as per post from @stmarysmead below and my response, I see what you meant now. Rather than do a DBM, I'll just leave this here and say that I rescind the above comments.

 

[Sarahlou]

Snipped

Trust me, plenty of people look happy and healthy whilst depressed and go on to complete suicide. Unless you have done a psych evaluation on someone then you have no way to judge if someone is depressed or not!

I still think Esther had an accident but what you said is completely true though.

 

[stmarysmead]

In regard to the “loosening up ab0ut checking in”...up until Nov 19, Esther posted a daily update on her travels. On Nov 20, the post is their first big piece of publicity on the Olive Post...probably uploaded by Dan...since he’s h0me and she’s trekking. The next day, another post that sounds like Dan urging people to buy the puppy books directly from him as it’s “helpful.” Then the BIG publicity break with the BBC is posted on Nov 22.

Now these articles might have been expected to draw more people to their FB, surely that’s their purpose.....so it’s curious IMO that Esther shuts down, no updates on her “adventures.” Then she disappears.

The Olive Post article is an interesting read. There is an attempt to explain where the puppies are. Two are with her parents to give them comfort during lockdown since they are dealing with grief. One is with a French family, but it certainly seems IMO that the impression is that the other two are still with them, which Esther has posted earlier is untrue.

If there ever was a time when Esther should have been updating with tales of her mountain trek, it was during this period when they were being seemingly discovered by a larger audience...but she does not continue her former practice of adding daily to FB.

A little pushback, perhaps...just guessing.

Also, her last FB post about her trekking, was the day she met the “friendly hiker” who drove her down the mountain.

 

[Grouse]

In regard to the “loosening up ab0ut checking in”...up until Nov 19, Esther posted a daily update on her travels. On Nov 20, the post is their first big piece of publicity on the Olive Post...probably uploaded by Dan...since he’s h0me and she’s trekking. The next day, another post that sounds like Dan urging people to buy the puppy books directly from him as it’s “helpful.” Then the BIG publicity break with the BBC is posted on Nov 22.

Now these articles might have been expected to draw more people to their FB, surely that’s their purpose.....so it’s curious IMO that Esther shuts down, no updates on her “adventures.” Then she disappears.

The Olive Post article is an interesting read. There is an attempt to explain where the puppies are. Two are with her parents to give them comfort during lockdown since they are dealing with grief. One is with a French family, but it certainly seems IMO that the impression is that the other two are still with them, which Esther has posted earlier is untrue.

If there ever was a time when Esther should have been updating with tales of her mountain trek, it was during this period when they were being seemingly discovered by a larger audience...but she does not continue her former practice of adding daily to FB.

A little pushback, perhaps...just guessing.

Also, her last FB post about her trekking, was the day she met the “friendly hiker” who drove her down the mountain.

Ah ok, so "checking in" in terms of SM, makes sense now. I will rescind my response above to @The_Investigator.

Yes, the last FB post was 19th but there was the post on Instagram on 21 Login • Instagram

Do you have a link to the Olive Post article?

 

[The_Investigator]

Snipped

Trust me, plenty of people look happy and healthy whilst depressed and go on to complete suicide. Unless you have done a psych evaluation on someone then you have no way to judge if someone is depressed or not!

I’ve just watched her 3 day cycle challenge on a static bike for COVID, she is a very determined and focused girl in those 3 days cycling 12 hours shifts. I don’t think she would kill herself when she was nourishing her body with hourly smoothies and vegan snacks... appears like someone who is looking forward to a long and very healthy future... and self caring to the ultimate degree whilst enjoying , in her own words, her incredible body which achieved the marathon cycle challenge... it must have been cripplingly painful to do, one day in a bike for 12 hours I’ve done almost that and it decked me for days after,.. she looks knackered at the end but is joyous that she can achieve that,. So I think her confidence and future were strong and she won’t waste her energy on self pity and suicide.

 

[stmarysmead]

Ah ok, so "checking in" in terms of SM, makes sense now. I will rescind my response above to @The_Investigator.

Yes, the last FB post was 19th but there was the post on Instagram on 21 Login • Instagram

Do you have a link to the Olive Post article?

PUPPY LOVE: Meet the five pooches travelling through Spain in a second-hand motorhome - Olive Press News Spain

 

[Grouse]

I’ve just watched her 3 day cycle challenge on a static bike for COVID, she is a very determined and focused girl in those 3 days cycling 12 hours shifts. I don’t think she would kill herself when she was nourishing her body with hourly smoothies and vegan snacks... appears like someone who is looking forward to a long and very healthy future... and self caring to the ultimate degree whilst enjoying , in her own words, her incredible body which achieved the marathon cycle challenge... it must have been cripplingly painful to do, one day in a bike for 12 hours I’ve done almost that and it decked me for days after,.. she looks knackered at the end but is joyous that she can achieve that,. So I think her confidence and future were strong and she won’t waste her energy on self pity and suicide.

BBM it would be nice to think that, but I'm not sure it works that way. IMO, not an expert on suicide.

I was also impressed by what she did on the bike and the money she raised for the NHS. It's interesting that initially she was doing it with an audience of about two people. Then I think someone they knew who had a lot of online followers got involved and it got the audience. Seems similar to most of their online activity - there's a lot of it but not followed by that many people. Maybe they just do it for the love of it.

 

[RickshawFan]

Snipped

Trust me, plenty of people look happy and healthy whilst depressed and go on to complete suicide. Unless you have done a psych evaluation on someone then you have no way to judge if someone is depressed or not!

Thanks for saying this. I haven't seen that anyone currently posting in this thread is professionally qualified even to guess at a person's emotional state, and a professional would be unable—for ethical reasons—to evaluate anyone without meeting them personally.
How someone projects themselves in life—and especially social media—can be the opposite of who they are. Try this case, where 2 moms drove their 5 kids and themselves off a cliff. They had claimed the family was vegetarian and they didn't drink, but when police searched, their refrigerator was full of meat (and goodies) and there was wine rack on the counter. That was the tip of the iceberg. I refer you to this thread, where we had the dawning realization that all was not as it appeared.

 

[Grouse]

PUPPY LOVE: Meet the five pooches travelling through Spain in a second-hand motorhome - Olive Press News Spain

thanks

 

[fridaybaker]

I wanted to respond to earlier comments that maps are confusing. I agree. I've added dates and locations to this map. I can add trails as well, but I'm curious whether this helps.

1. Nov 21 arrives at Hospice de Benasque
2. hikes to Pic de Sauvegarde, arrives 1 PM
3. overnights at Cabana la Basurtas
4. Nov 22 hikes to Pic de Sauvegarde, 3:30 - 4:10 PM
5. intends to cross border from Spain to France at Port de Venasque
6. intends to overnight at Refuge de Venasque
7. intends to hike Port de la Glere Trail
8. intends to cross border from France to Spain at Port de la Glere
9. intends to return to Hospice de Benasque, then to Benasque to retrieve her van

View attachment 281186

Wow. So helpful. Thanks!