Found Deceased Spain - Esther Dingley, from UK, missing in the Pyrenees, November 2020 #3

[RedHaus]

Brilliant. Pretty much answers everything. Main points I took from it:

• House sitting is in Larroque sur l’Osse
• On 20th Esther spent the day in/around the campervan because the weather wasn’t great
• On 21st she stayed overnight at Cabane La Besurta
• On 22nd she reached the top of Sauvegarde at 3:30, spent half an hour Whatsapping people, sent selfies, and was last heard from in a video call to Dan at 4:07 which lasted 1min 36secs
• She walks faster than average speeds. A 3 hour walk would take her 2 hours
• She has two head torches
• She was due back to her van in Benasque by 25th at latest.

Agree CoverMeCagney, 100%.

I found the dossier released today by LBT, with I presume DC's input, profound. It reminded me of the deep sorrow ED's disappearance has caused DC and her family. It also affirmed ED's kind and gentle soul. And it answered many of our questions and affirmed some of our rudimentary theories based on limited data. So first, I want to thank LBT / DC for releasing this additional information to the public and for Sjm_qc for posting it! This can only help to solve the question - where is Esther?

From what has been digested so far by other WS'ers, here are some of the additional points I came away with:

• The search information in the dossier did not mention searching any of the lakes at the Refuge area or in the area of pic de Sajust (if she went in that direction)
• We know where she could have had cell service and where she didn't, a key gap in our prior knowledge - and generally she would have had good service on her loop
• The results of the SAR / LE search of the Refuge de Vanesque are inconclusive at best - so ED very well could have stayed there 22/11

And here are the big questions and concerns I still have:

1. If her intended hike (as you confirmed above) was about a 7-8 hour hike on 23/11, what was she intending to do after she reached Port de Glere? Perhaps she made it to that destination late in the day on 23/11. What would ED have done then - hitched a ride back to her van in Banasque? Stay somewhere to continue hiking?
2. Clearly, ED is very communicative from the glimpse we now have into how she communicated with DC. So if she had such good cell service on her intended loop, why the radio silence from 22/11, 4:07pm? It brings us back to early theory of a catastrophic incident between pic de Sauvegarde and when she left Refuge de V.
3. Should we revisit our "lost / damaged phone" theory that could explain the radio silence? It could also explain why ED might have aborted her plans and descended from Pic de Sauvegarde on 22/11 back to possibly the Cabane La Besurta or even to her van in Banasque (in the dark) - possibly hitching a ride.
4. Also, something might have happened to her at the apex of her loop - down at the Hospice de France - to cause her to abort her trek and try to get a ride out of there.
5. And of course we have the rogue hunter(s) or stray hunter's bullet to still consider as those too could be viable concerns given her vulnerability and dark clothing.

I'll stop there.... and post this contact information at the request of the LBT:

LBT Global Hotline: +44 (0) 800 098 8485
WhatsApp: +44 (0) 7545 826 497
Email: delta.ops@lbt.global

 

[Ruthbullock]

The one thing we already knew, but hadn’t really considered overly, is the phone being in airplane mode. When in this mode it is impossible to know whether you have signal or not. If ED didn’t believe there was signal (even though we now know there would have been soon after she started travelling the following day) at which point would you switch your phone back on 1. To test for signal, check for messages 2. To send your own communication. Personally it would be at my first stopping/rest point the following day. I wouldn’t stop earlier than necessary purely to see if I had a signal.

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Esther Dingley: Missing British hiker's partner says someone may have 'seen opportunity in a lone female'

 

[Hexe]

The one thing we already knew, but hadn’t really considered overly, is the phone being in airplane mode.

The question here would be: how do we know Esther turned it into airplane mode? Do we know it for sure, or is it only Dan's assumption, based on the fact Esther's phone stopped pinging towers? Unfortunately there are many reasons for which it might happen, like the phone being damaged (water or fall), or the battery being drained.

A possibility here I look into is that Esther fell, damaged the phone, injured herself, albeit not to the point of immobility, then in a daze and shock started to walk, venturing away from the area of search.

 

[Ruthbullock]

The question here would be: how do we know Esther turned it into airplane mode? Do we know it for sure, or is it only Dan's assumption, based on the fact Esther's phone stopped pinging towers? Unfortunately there are many reasons for which it might happen, like the phone being damaged (water or fall), or the battery being drained.

A possibility here I look into is that Esther fell, damaged the phone, injured herself, albeit not to the point of immobility, then in a daze and shock started to walk, venturing away from the area of search.

Dan stated that she often turned her phone into airplane mode to save battery. She told him she would have no signal, which DC tested and said was also correct- so we have no reason to question these assumptions, at least not at this point.

 

[jsoap]

Regarding phone coverage, if she decided to take the route to Col de la Glere, through the lakes via Col Montagnette, there would be no coverage. The start of the route is clearly visible from the refuge, will appear on the maps.me app, and may be more tempting than the planned route. However, as the document indicates, the whole area has been intensively searched.
That kit list is 100% spot on.

 

[Hexe]

Dan stated that she often turned her phone into airplane mode to save battery. She told him she would have no signal, which DC tested and said was also correct- so we have no reason to question these assumptions, at least not at this point.

Sure. i think though we shouldn't take them as a fact either. We cannot be sure why Esther's phone got silent.

 

[patCee]

Note: After leaving the peak, there is no mobile phone signal anywhere on this part of Esther’s route towards Refuge de Venasque.
If there was a planned sabotage this would be a good place to do so on the hours hike with no phone. Although realistically the phone would not be helpful in a remote area even with cell connection, but probably be used instinctively if aware of danger, or experiencing difficulty of some sort.
It's difficult to assess the phone use as a clue, as on the 21st it's noted that ED phoned DC several times in the morning and then at 13.11. On the 22nd several calls in the afternoon 3.29 - 4.07. So was there ever a clear pattern for their phone contact where a deviation could be seen.
At 3.31 she tells DC "I can't wait to read all your messages" but doesn't mention them in 3 more calls so I assume she'd not had time to read them all other than the brief contacts. So on leaving Refuge de Venasque the following morning I would think she be testing her phone at various points to see if she had a line, and let DC know she had left that area, and read his messages. So it does seem to point that something happened in the small area DC has identified. Leaving no trace there is a mystery. Hard to believe a fully grown adult and pack can just vanish.

 

[PeggyHenry]

Sure. i think though we shouldn't take them as a fact either. We cannot be sure why Esther's phone got silent.

Agreed

 

[Hexe]

So it does seem to point that something happened in the small area DC has identified. Leaving no trace there is a mystery. Hard to believe a fully grown adult and pack can just vanish.

In the mountains? Sure they can.

 

[patCee]

In the mountains? Sure they can.

How do they vanish, a crevasse or a glacier to be found years later. There was nothing like that where ED was hiking that day as far as I know. Would it have been easy for SAR to miss her on that particular route after searching for 6 days of mostly good weather? DC does not believe she went into the water as the banks were not dangerous, and others were too far of the trail.

 

[Hexe]

How do they vanish, a crevasse or a glacier to be found years later. There was nothing like that where ED was hiking that day as far as I know. Would it have been easy for SAR to miss her on that particular route after searching for 6 days of mostly good weather? DC does not believe she went into the water as the banks were not dangerous, and others were too far of the trail.

You don't need a glacier or a crevice for a body to lie in mountains unseen for years or even decades. The search area is a huge swatch of rough terrain full of nooks, crannies, boulders, rocks and holes. SAR was not able to check all of these places, that would be physically impossible. Have you noticed these giant screes on the French sides of Pic de Sauveguarde? They look quite smooth from far away, like sand piles, but they consist of rocks of different sizes, from pebbles to truck sized (or even bigger) boulders. Between these stones there is sometimes enough of space to hide an elefant, not just a body of one slim lady and her backpack.

 

[PeggyHenry]

Pic de Sauvegarde 360 Panorama | 360Cities

 

[Grouse]

The search information in the dossier did not mention searching any of the lakes at the Refuge area or in the area of pic de Sajust (if she went in that direction)

It does seem like the lakes have been discounted by DC and SAR/LE, at least in terms of her falling in accidentally. But it would also be a credible place to hide a body if there was an unfortunate encounter (eg. rogue bullet as you say). I presume they are frozen now and won't be searched until spring, if at all.

ETA: Given that this is now apparently a criminal investigation as well, several bodies of water right in the locale where a person is believed to have gone missing, and they haven't been checked would seem very odd in any normal investigation . MOO

 

[patCee]

The 2nd photo on the info pack looks, to me, a terrifying descent from Refuge de Vanesque. Or is the photo misleading, and there's really a good path? Cell connection is roughly 30 min along.
https://42cc80b7-be3b-41e3-a85b-18b...d/4addd9_d8c55b489c6f445b96d6324dd882f5a1.pdf

 

[Grouse]

The 2nd photo on the info pack looks, to me, a terrifying descent from Refuge de Vanesque. Or is the photo misleading, and there's really a good path? Cell connection is roughly 30 min along.
https://42cc80b7-be3b-41e3-a85b-18b...d/4addd9_d8c55b489c6f445b96d6324dd882f5a1.pdf

I know what you mean I think that particular photograph does make it look a bit scary, almost like full on mountaineering. But upthread there was some discussion on those paths down and a link to a blog with pics taken on the descent, and it didn't look so bad.

 

[Quietey]

"Not only had Esther relayed this plan to her partner, she had also communicated this same intention to multiple witnesses who reported meeting Esther during her ascent to Pic de Sauvegarde. The Guardia Civil search team told Dan that they could track Esther’s ascent at various stages thanks to the people who came forward to say they had interacted with her."

So clearly many people who met ED spoke to police confirming the routes she used, and those she planned to use. This info gave me a comfortable sense of ED and her hikes where she saw a lot of people, chatted with them and was not wandering alone. It does sound as though the mountains were busy with people at least up to the point when she disappeared.

"Probably the most demanding part of the trail, about ten metres like this – Obviously such locations were the focus of intense searching.
This was the steep incline with a rope handrail that had particular attention during the searches. (sorry couldn't copy the pic. on DCs information pack). So confirming that any places with a higher chance of an accident were looked at thoroughly.
https://42cc80b7-be3b-41e3-a85b-18b...d/4addd9_d8c55b489c6f445b96d6324dd882f5a1.pdf

The SAR even spotted some lost items but they were not EDs. Looking at the many pictures of the routes, reading DCs thoughts about EDs ability, the thorough searches and instincts he seems to convey about the situation, it's hard to disagree with him and not lean towards a 3rd party being criminally involved as a higher than is usual possibility.

Agree - I'm a lot less inclined to think accident after reading the information from DC and LBT. The parts that stood out for me on reading the information were (from DC's statement):

• "At the time of Esther’s hike, French residents were required to stay within 1km of their home when exercising as part of lockdown restrictions." - ie anyone exercising on the French side was in breach of the restrictions. Was everyone aware of where the border was? Anyone hunting legally or illegally may not have expected to encounter a person at all, particularly someone camouflaged in rock coloured clothing - ie not a case of being in the line of fire but a mistaken target.

• Esther met and talked to/befriended quite a number of people in the preceding weeks. That's quite a few people who could have known where she would be and when.

 

[Hatty]

Agree - I'm a lot less inclined to think accident after reading the information from DC and LBT. The parts that stood out for me on reading the information were (from DC's statement):

• "At the time of Esther’s hike, French residents were required to stay within 1km of their home when exercising as part of lockdown restrictions." - ie anyone exercising on the French side was in breach of the restrictions. Was everyone aware of where the border was? Anyone hunting legally or illegally may not have expected to encounter a person at all, particularly someone camouflaged in rock coloured clothing - ie not a case of being in the line of fire but a mistaken target.

• Esther met and talked to/befriended quite a number of people in the preceding weeks. That's quite a few people who could have known where she would be and when.

Yes I agree - and of course there was the publicity about the couple’s travels and the fact they were willing and happy to hitchhike. Any accomplished stalker type could have seized the opportunity....

 

[patCee]

I know what you mean I think that particular photograph does make it look a bit scary, almost like full on mountaineering. But upthread there was some discussion on those paths down and a link to a blog with pics taken on the descent, and it didn't look so bad.

You are right, in fact the next photo shows a very manageable descent photo, thank goodness. In my horror I didn't move on to it soon enough.
Also on the French and Spanish side of the Pic de Sauveguarde there are roads approx one and a half to 2 hours either side where people can access the area. So again, a potentially busy area that can be accessed by car on the Spanish side giving some thought to one idea regarding ED being taken in a car.

"On the French side the Hospice de France is a popular starting point for walks. On the Spanish side the Hospital de Benasque and Cabane de la Besurtas are also accessible by vehicle. Geographically the road heads are approximately 5 kilometres apart as the crow flies."

 

[patCee]

DBM