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

[otto]

Is Koh Rong safe for a solo female? - Koh Rong Forum - TripAdvisor

Interesting link about the TV Survivor location in Cambodia. A woman named Katherine is apparently murdered in the last three years in Koh Rong, but - what is her last name? Are there any details beyond a first name?

It seems like no one was murdered, and Amelia is missing. There's no "stalker" "mass-murderer" culture.

 

[Rosiebones]

This speaks of abduction to me.
She is smart and she had done her homework for this trip.
But, assuming that her phone was the only source of light she would have had to light her way back down a difficult path, why would she have left it on the beach? She needed it to continue.
I believe someone saw her leave the party or left with her, saying they would walk back together and she, realizing she was in danger, dropped her bag as a clue. Or, she dropped it in a struggle.
The other point of interest to me is that she is said to wear glasses and is photographed as wearing them. Yet the pictures at the party show her without them. I doubt she had contact lenses, so in addition to perhaps being inebriated, no light source, she did not have her glasses on to see her way back.

 

[KittleSkittle]

Interesting link about the TV Survivor location in Cambodia. A woman named Katherine is apparently murdered in the last three years in Koh Rong, but - what is her last name? Are there any details beyond a first name?

It seems like no one was murdered, and Amelia is missing. There's no "stalker" "mass-murderer" culture.

Left for Dead - The Cambodia Daily

Katherine Grgich. Seems it was a robbery, and they have a suspect but he has left the country. Not related to this case but a little concerning that the Cambodian Police didn’t alert the Thai authorities or Interpol.

 

[Rosiebones]

British backpacker Amelia Bambridge disappears after Cambodia beach party | Daily Mail Online
This article says her backpack was found on the rocks near the water and divers are looking there. It seems though, that if she was in the ocean, the tides would bring her to shore pretty quickly.

 

[Rosiebones]

Bag of missing Amelia Bambridge found near beach where she vanished | Metro News
This article has pictures of the rock where the backpack was found. In fact, it looks like the backpack is still on the rock but I can't be sure about that. It seems odd that she would wade out there but maybe she was going for a swim or just intended to sit for awhile or was waiting to enjoy the sunrise.

 

[KittleSkittle]

Bag of missing Amelia Bambridge found near beach where she vanished | Metro News
This article has pictures of the rock where the backpack was found. In fact, it looks like the backpack is still on the rock but I can't be sure about that. It seems odd that she would wade out there but maybe she was going for a swim or just intended to sit for awhile or was waiting to enjoy the sunrise.

It looks more like it was placed there than dropped or lost. Would the rocks have been surrounded by water when she went missing? Not sure what tides are like there.

 

[Kaykedi]

Bag of missing Amelia Bambridge found near beach where she vanished | Metro News
This article has pictures of the rock where the backpack was found. In fact, it looks like the backpack is still on the rock but I can't be sure about that. It seems odd that she would wade out there but maybe she was going for a swim or just intended to sit for awhile or was waiting to enjoy the sunrise.

Is the backpack on the table the same one that's on the rock? Why are we only being told today that her backpack was on a rock in the sea? That potentially changes everything!

 

[Bethan]

My blood runs cold reading of Amelia’s disappearance in Cambodia.

I fear the worst, particularly as the bag was found & the length of time that has elapsed.

The following is lengthy & anecdotal, but not OT.

This was my worst nightmare for a number of years & I think is actually in a strange way what led me to Websleuths.

( I was so frightened of this type of scenario, that I started to read up on ‘missing’ cases, particularly those of youngsters of a similar age to my children. I learned what I should do, if as a mother, I found myself in this situation. Like Amelia’s mother, I’d have been on the first flight out there).

All 4of my children have travelled to far-flung lands, often alone, after leaving school, prior to University/ or starting a job, and this has continued until their mid-twenties, when they have settled down & now pursuing their careers.

It almost seems like a ‘rite of passage’ among kids of this age in the UK, but they are so young, even at 21, to be embarking on these type of back-packing adventure.

Sounds like my children are ‘privileged’ but not so. My kids funded their travels themselves, working hard, saving up for flights, and once there able to live/travel on a shoe-string budget.

A young Spanish friend is currently hitch-hiking around Thailand, with his girlfriend. Hitch-hiking!

My beautiful intelligent daughter, being the most adventurous ( perhaps because she was the youngest of 4 & had envied her brothers’ freedom to explore the world while she had to go to school) started travelling aged 17 years usually alone, mainly in Asia....most often the Philippines ( being passionate about wildlife, marine conservation & diving. Diving being an added concern!)

Fortunately when she visited Cambodia, she was with her older brother, as there she became extremely ill, with a high fever & vomiting, unable to leave her bed for days on end, even for the toilet.

My son, bless him, capable, intelligent & aware of the risk of dehydration, sat by her bedside for 3-4 days, forcing her to sip water & an electrolyte replacement he had concocted himself.

I dread to think what would have happened to her, had she been travelling alone.

Fortunately I only heard about this, after they were home safely.

All four have found themselves in potentially risky situations, but fortunately have remained clear-headed throughout & able to keep safe, and fortunately didn’t meet any human predators.

Often there would be no contact, as there was no WiFi & I never got used to this, or stopped worrying, until they were home.

I don’t think I can follow this case closely, until there is resolution, as fear grips my heart, even more so than in other cases I follow.

I don’t pray much, but I am praying for Amelia, her mother & siblings.

 

[zecats]

This speaks of abduction to me.
She is smart and she had done her homework for this trip.
But, assuming that her phone was the only source of light she would have had to light her way back down a difficult path, why would she have left it on the beach? She needed it to continue.
I believe someone saw her leave the party or left with her, saying they would walk back together and she, realizing she was in danger, dropped her bag as a clue. Or, she dropped it in a struggle.
The other point of interest to me is that she is said to wear glasses and is photographed as wearing them. Yet the pictures at the party show her without them. I doubt she had contact lenses, so in addition to perhaps being inebriated, no light source, she did not have her glasses on to see her way back.

Why the doubt over contact lenses? I wear my glasses (preferably) most of the time. But, when I go out to a party or a wedding, or when I do Yoga, I switch to contacts.

Just wondering if you read something about her lack of interest or ability to wear them. tia

 

[zecats]

It looks more like it was placed there than dropped or lost. Would the rocks have been surrounded by water when she went missing? Not sure what tides are like there.

Possible she was sick? From drinking or drugs? Or whatever illness one can contract while traveling? Maybe she would place her things on the ground or rocks in order to throw up? In that case, though, where is she?

@Bethan 's post above led me to these thoughts.

 

[Kaykedi]

WHO last saw Amelia? And, WHO said she left the beach party? Her bag left on the rocks in the sea doesn't indicate she left the beach does it? It indicates she went for a swim, or, a paddle. Or, it was staged to look that way

 

[Bethan]

Why the doubt over contact lenses? I wear my glasses (preferably) most of the time. But, when I go out to a party or a wedding, or when I do Yoga, I switch to contacts.

Just wondering if you read something about her lack of interest of ability to wear them. tia

Speaking again of my family ( apologies!) My son did not use his contact lenses while travelling abroad, because of the increased risk of infection.

We have a friend, here in the UK, who has lost an eye through an amoebic infection caused by wearing contact lenses. She is also unable to resume her nursing job.

 

[Kaykedi]

There was a beach party, Amelia was there. It is reported that 'she left a beach party'. No mention who said this. It seems odd that not one person who attended the party has come forward to say something along the lines of "we were all tired and went to bed, Amelia decided to stay on the beach for a little longer", etc, etc

 

[MFH]

This reminds me a little bit of Theo Hayez traveling abroad and missing in Australia. Speculation that he may have been going to some type of party scene on the beach and would have walked through a thick brush/woods to get there from town. His hat was found in the woods and his cell phone seems to have last pinged in the area near the beach. He had also been drinking/partying and was kicked out of a bar/club earlier in the night before his phone movements show him heading to the beach.

And then nothing else - he is still missing despite several searches.

 

[Elainera]

Maybe other party goers were just assuming she left because after 3 am they didn't see her anymore.

I'm leaning towards an accident right now (drowning), because according to the TA thread linked above robbery is quite common in Koh Rong. Had she been attacked or raped etc surely the perp(s) would have taken any valuables from her bag as well. imo

 

[Elainera]

Bag of missing Amelia Bambridge found near beach where she vanished | Metro News
This article has pictures of the rock where the backpack was found. In fact, it looks like the backpack is still on the rock but I can't be sure about that. It seems odd that she would wade out there but maybe she was going for a swim or just intended to sit for awhile or was waiting to enjoy the sunrise.

Confusingly this article states both, that the bag was found on a rock and/or found in a bar.

"Pictures showed the rucksack belonging to the tourist from Worthing, West Sussex, on rocks close to the shoreline."

"Her friends said a purse Amelia used on the night was found in the early hours of Thursday morning in a bar where the party was held"

"Her bag was found at the bar where the party was"

Two bags?

And about the content of the bag:

"Police said items found in her bag included a small purse, several packs of over-the-counter medication, her mobile phone, a phone charger, headphones, bank cards, a watch, a lighter, a pen, a tourist SIM card, a small padlock, a nail file and a key ring."

 

[Rosiebones]

Why the doubt over contact lenses? I wear my glasses (preferably) most of the time. But, when I go out to a party or a wedding, or when I do Yoga, I switch to contacts.I did

Just wondering if you read something about her lack of interest or ability to wear them. tia

I did note that there was no mention of contact lens solution or carrying case etc. or a pair of glasses in her purse that was found on the rock.
I know my kids would never take their contact lenses on camping trips or beach trips in particular, because of sand and dirt and increased danger of scratched corneas etc. But, she may not have had the same level of concern.

 

[slowpoke]

Confusingly this article states both, that the bag was found on a rock and/or found in a bar.

"Pictures showed the rucksack belonging to the tourist from Worthing, West Sussex, on rocks close to the shoreline."

"Her friends said a purse Amelia used on the night was found in the early hours of Thursday morning in a bar where the party was held"

"Her bag was found at the bar where the party was"

Two bags?

And about the content of the bag:

"Police said items found in her bag included a small purse, several packs of over-the-counter medication, her mobile phone, a phone charger, headphones, bank cards, a watch, a lighter, a pen, a tourist SIM card, a small padlock, a nail file and a key ring."

View attachment 211582 View attachment 211583

I was noticing what you point out, also, and wondered if that was accurate what her friends said: that her purse was found in the bar where the party was (I’m paraphrasing).

One side note, what confuses my mind is that I think what we here in the US call a “wallet” or “coin purse”, in British English they call a “purse”.

 

[Rosiebones]

I have looked at many, many pictures of the shore line between Police Beach and Nest Beach and also the rock where her backpack was found and they all seem to have a long shallow walk out into the ocean. They are beautiful shallow beaches. The water is so clear that you can see the bottom quite far out.
Even if she did go in for a swim and drowned or had some sort of other kind of accident, her body would have been easily spotted, floating or even if it sank. The underwater visibility is impressive.

 

[Dre]

Couldn’t slight undercurrents slowly pull her out further? By the time a body decomposes enough to float I’m sure she’d be out in the sea by then? Just thinking out loud