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

[otto]

I didn't realize that Worthing, West Sussex is on the English Channel. Amelia would have been well aware of the dangers of night swimming and riptides. Something seems off here. Photos of her in a bathing suit and swimming, yet she made a fatal mistake in shallow water?

I wonder whether she was still alive a few hours later, caught in a current, but it took too long for help to arrive.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

In some places, there is law stating that sober bartenders have to stop serving people who are too drunk to drink. If they continue to serve a drunk and that drunk kills someone, liability becomes an issue.

However, who knows about how things work in Cambodia.

I really think they'd have trouble bringing a case like that in Cambodia, especially against a beach bar. The locals would simply close ranks and the authorities would get backhanders and the case would be unprovable. Different culture and different mindset to our Western lives where everything is accountable.

Still... I'm curious to hear if the Bambridges are satisfied the post mortem was legit, and whether they'll request a UK one.

 

[Sarahlou]

I didn't expect the autopsy to say anything different to be honest. Whether it's legit or not I don't think we'll know.

 

[proctorelites]

"The police chief earlier said the post-mortem would be attended by forensic police, a hospital doctor, a court prosecutor, a representative of the British embassy and members of Ms Bambridge's family.

Her mother, Linda Schultes, was seen arriving at the hospital on Friday along with other family members."

I myself am very pleased to hear this and highly approve that her autopsy was well attended by a member of the family & British Authorities. Seems like there would be very little room for error with so many figureheads present.
I am not sure what medical or forensic investigators are lumped into the category of "forensic police" My only question would be, are they qualified to determine if the autopsy was forensically sound & performed accurately? I don't believe the doctor performing would be in question exactly, just this: representatives from 5 countries could be present but if they dont know the difference between an autopsy & forensic autopsy or, normal human decomposition & internal/external trauma, their presence only serves 1 purpose: to confirm the autopsy.
I am obviously layman and dont have time to research the information in this article. can someone elaborate on who & what this autopsy entailed?

 

[Chiatos]

We'll have to wait and she what the Bambridges will decide.

Frankly, the bag is bugging me. Either Amelia placed it there at dawn or even after dawn (after high tide), or someone else did.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

I didn't realize that Worthing, West Sussex is on the English Channel. Amelia would have been well aware of the dangers of night swimming and riptides. Something seems off here. Photos of her in a bathing suit and swimming, yet she made a fatal mistake in shallow water?

I wonder whether she was still alive a few hours later, caught in a current, but it took too long for help to arrive.

To be honest, the temperatures of our seas would discourage most people from night swimming. Not sure if you're familiar with the phrase "brass monkeys" but...yep, brass monkeys!

 

[muggles63]

I didn't realize that Worthing, West Sussex is on the English Channel. Amelia would have been well aware of the dangers of night swimming and riptides. Something seems off here. Photos of her in a bathing suit and swimming, yet she made a fatal mistake in shallow water?

I wonder whether she was still alive a few hours later, caught in a current, but it took too long for help to arrive.

Unfortunately, that can also make people over confident in their abilities, if judgement is impaired

 

[Rosiebones]

If her family, in their devastation, are at peace with the autopsy results and explanation by LE then that is enough for me.

 

[moonriverfarm]

It really just seems like she took a night swim and drowned. And there was a British authority watching over the autopsy.

Only bad vibes I get was the lady staring at the camera in the last known pic, she just seems out of place, and Amelia looks Uncomfortable, maybe she just doesn't like her photo taken

Maybe she was stoned or under the influence of something.

 

[slowpoke]

This article is from 2016. Makes one wonder: how in-depth and complete was the autopsy done at the “main hospital at Sihanoukville” (according to various reports)?

Dearth of Forensics Makes Justice Evasive - The Cambodia Daily

 

[Chiatos]

This article is from 2016. Makes one wonder: how in-depth and complete was the autopsy done at the “main hospital at Sihanoukville” (according to various reports)?

Dearth of Forensics Makes Justice Evasive - The Cambodia Daily

It says:
"There are no forensic pathologists in Cambodia,” he said. “What we can do is send a body to Bangkok.”

 

[Waterzedge]

Maybe she was stoned or under the influence of something.

Yes and you can see by her older photos she likes swimming in pools drinking.

If you look at the drone footage in someone's blog you can see how small the beach is, you would notice if she got in a boat or if she was fighting with someone.

Also if you look at the map the beach is facing ocean it's not facing the shallow waters in the direction of the mainland


People party all day so seeing someone's bag on a rock isn't out of the ordinary.

People use the ocean late at night to piss

This is just case of accidental drowning.

 

[Vail]

Where I live there are similar rocky beaches where a shallow may extend for some way before steeply dropping off. In one cove, a young guy drowned last summer because he passed out while floating, which a common thing to do in that cove on clear nights. A lot of young people go there as there is a cabana right there. This case reminds me so much of that one. Has it been said if she was found clothed?

 

[slowpoke]

Where I live there are similar rocky beaches where a shallow may extend for some way before steeply dropping off. In one cove, a young guy drowned last summer because he passed out while floating, which a common thing to do in that cove on clear nights. A lot of young people go there as there is a cabana right there. This case reminds me so much of that one. Has it been said if she was found clothed?

Yes, it seems she was still wearing the same clothing (bolded by me):

Based on the identity given to us, the tattoo on her body and the clothes she was last seen in, we believe it is her,” said Lieutenant General Tea Sokha, deputy commander of Cambodia’s navy. He said authorities had been tipped off about the body’s location by fishermen who first spotted it.

Body found in search for missing British backpacker Amelia Bambridge in Cambodia

 

[Chiatos]

This is strange:
Bambridge was last seen walking alone to her hostel, the Nest Beach Club, which is more than 1km from Police Beach – so-called because of its proximity to a disused police station.
Body of missing Brit pulled from sea near Thai waters | Phnom Penh Post

 

[jaejae]

Never a good thing to become the subject of a Websleuths thread or usually be the centre of a Social Media storm. Most people want to help but there is often a negative side with Social Media:

Amelia Bambridge: Images of drowned backpacker's body shared on social media

 

[jamjim]

Never a good thing to become the subject of a Websleuths thread or usually be the centre of a Social Media storm. Most people want to help but there is often a negative side with Social Media:

Amelia Bambridge: Images of drowned backpacker's body shared on social media

So awful for her poor family. As if they don't have enough to deal with already, they now know that a load of random strangers have seen pictures of Amelia's body - including an 11 year old family member. Horrific.

 

[slowpoke]

From the link:

Deputy National Police chief In Bora said Bambridge’s family had decided to cremate the body in Cambodia because they accepted that she had died from drowning, rather than under suspicious circumstances.

Brit backpacker’s family cremate body | Phnom Penh Post

Tragic outcome, but at least her body was located relatively quickly.

I noted that in several of the photos of her shared here and in the media, she is wearing the wristwatch. The watch was found to be in her crossbody bag that was on the rock, so maybe she did take it off and decide to go in the water. Would those glowing, bioluminescent plankton have been visible from near the rocks? That would have been one tempting reason to get in the water.

Peace to Amelia’s family; they gave a valiant effort to find her.

 

[LadyL]

Never a good thing to become the subject of a Websleuths thread or usually be the centre of a Social Media storm. Most people want to help but there is often a negative side with Social Media:

Amelia Bambridge: Images of drowned backpacker's body shared on social media

yes it was shared here too but the mods took care of that

 

[jaejae]

yes it was shared here too but the mods took care of that

Thanks for that information. I am surprised someone shared it here but that's the world I suppose.