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

[RickshawFan]

According to the dossier - "Dan stayed there himself for 2 nights while searching the area and reported that there is no sign of anybody having been there -it's a bland/bare room with eight rough bunks/mattresses, a table and no sign-in book."

I'm not sure why there would be a sign of anyone at the facility except maybe lingering aroma and correct paperwork. It's really hard to leave your signature on a funky old mattress, you'd better not leave crumbs, or ANYTHING. The only other possibility is that there had been a fire in the fireplace and there was a faint aroma of wood smoke.
LE would likely know if other people had been in the area of the Refuge, since max there might have been 1-2, it being banned and all...
In all this, if DC spent two nights in the Refuge shortly after ED went missing, traces (e.g. aroma) of ED would be erased. Maybe that's why the gendarmerie mentioned they were not pleased that he was searching by himself and not leaving the search to them? Hard to say.

The one important place I hope they searched is the composting toilet(s). There tends to be evidence of different varieties in those (though they are quite marvellously not very aromatic, perhaps because many are basically thrones on platforms in the wilderness, with full butt exposure and great views. (If you're lucky, you get a little bit of privacy plywood).

It does sound as though the Refuge, in terms of the trip, would have been a safe place to spend the night. Thick mattresses would have added a huge amount of warmth to ED's sleep setup, and if there were bunks, there would be a low ceiling on the bottom bunk, or warmer air on the top bunk, so either a top bunk or a bottom bunk would have added even more warmth than just a mattress.
I've never been of the mind that an evil-minded person came across ED and did something untoward. That would involve way too many unlikelihoods.

 

[Grouse]

We don't know who authored the document that mentions Dan several times.

The LBT website https://www.lbt.global/media-releas...PluTrEsGNeO-YUQ2D3R8LZXUGw2lvFyngkWLenB-1gl-swhere the pdf was published refers to it as "Daniel Colegate’s dossier". It appears to me it's been written by him.

The refuge does expect people to sign in and make a payment during off season, and instructions are provided to reduce transmission of the virus during visits.

It may say that on the website but I'm not getting too hung up on that personally, I doubt anyone will be too concerned about policing a refuge that will hardly get any visitors over the winter and during lockdown.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

How would they pay if it's unmanned? If it's online, that would be like a modern day honesty box?

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Perhaps investigators or SAR collected the sign-in book as evidence that she did not sign-in, and therefore did not arrive at the refuge.

They’d probably have mentioned that to Dan. But what if they did take it? I’m not seeing what difference it makes tbh. I’m waiting to have that lightbulb moment...

The consensus among SAR, police and Dan (all of whom have been on scene) appears to be that Esther did not make it to the refuge. But even if she did, and left no trace and set off walking again next day, it doesn’t change the story much. She’s still missing from a fairly small area of the Pyrenees.

 

[RickshawFan]

What should we believe? The official website of the refuge, or a document that has no author?

You'd also bring water, anticipating there wasn't any because you'd read the website. So, it would be moot whether there was actually some or not.

 

[Grouse]

<snipped for focus>
Maybe that's why the gendarmerie mentioned they were not pleased that he was searching by himself and not leaving the search to them?

Do you have a source reference for that, the bit about them not being pleased? Only thing I can recall reading is SAR mentioning that he preferred to search alone, but I never saw anything about them judging him on it.

 

[RickshawFan]

How would they pay if it's unmanned? If it's online, that would be like a modern day honesty box?

How would they pay? Yep, there would be a box. And you'd better pay, unless you're selfish, or at least that's what the website seems to be suggesting.

 

[RickshawFan]

Do you have a source reference for that, the bit about them not being pleased? Only thing I can recall reading is SAR mentioning that he preferred to search alone, but I never saw anything about them judging him on it.

I'll find it: the tone was not happy. I took it to convey "royally ticked." This is also normal for SAR teams. They don't like independent searches: they can cause more accidents, and throw off a carefully gridded search.
LE has repeatedly said they know what they're doing.

 

[Grouse]

You'd also bring water, anticipating there wasn't any because you'd read the website. So, it would be moot whether there was actually some or not.

She did have a Sawyer water filter according to kit list in DC's dossier, and it's next to a lake.

ETA: I looked at this one for myself a couple of years ago, but it seems to have tripled in price from what I recall !
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SAWYER-PRODUCTS-Water-Filtration-System/dp/B0185QNVE2

 

[CoverMeCagney]

From Nov 30th:

French police sent a search team of sixteen people up the mountain on Monday along with national police experts.

'Her partner is up looking for her too. However, he prefers to walk alone,' said Pierre Gaillard of the PGMH mountain gendarmes in Luchon.

'He has already retraced her route as it's not a difficult path. Now he is in another area. He's involved, he's trying to understand and doesn't want to stay down in the valley waiting.'

Missing British 'van life' travel blogger's boyfriend scours the Pyrenees | Daily Mail Online

 

[patCee]

The refuge does expect people to sign in and make a payment during off season, and instructions are provided to reduce transmission of the virus during visits. We don't know who authored the document that mentions Dan several times.

If as is likely ED stayed at the refuge I'm guessing the police will know whether or not she made a payment prior to arriving there. It wouldn't be possible on arrival as there is no cell connection.

 

[patCee]

In all this, if DC spent two nights in the Refuge shortly after ED went missing, traces (e.g. aroma) of ED would be erased. Maybe that's why the gendarmerie mentioned they were not pleased that he was searching by himself and not leaving the search to them? Hard to say.

I didn't know the gendarmerie mentioned that. Have to say I've felt surprised all along that he was allowed to do that. Joining the search party is one thing but going off alone could interfere with the offical search it seems to me, as you say some evidence of ED could be spoiled.

 

[Grouse]

From Nov 30th:

French police sent a search team of sixteen people up the mountain on Monday along with national police experts.

'Her partner is up looking for her too. However, he prefers to walk alone,' said Pierre Gaillard of the PGMH mountain gendarmes in Luchon.

'He has already retraced her route as it's not a difficult path. Now he is in another area. He's involved, he's trying to understand and doesn't want to stay down in the valley waiting.'

Missing British 'van life' travel blogger's boyfriend scours the Pyrenees | Daily Mail Online

Yeah that's what I remember reading. My thoughts at the time were that they might see a value in him being there as he'd be able to put himself in her position, anticipate what she might have done etc.

 

[ZaZara]

From Nov 30th:

French police sent a search team of sixteen people up the mountain on Monday along with national police experts.

'Her partner is up looking for her too. However, he prefers to walk alone,' said Pierre Gaillard of the PGMH mountain gendarmes in Luchon.

'He has already retraced her route as it's not a difficult path. Now he is in another area. He's involved, he's trying to understand and doesn't want to stay down in the valley waiting.'

Missing British 'van life' travel blogger's boyfriend scours the Pyrenees | Daily Mail Online

Everything indicates that LE and DC were in regular contact. And why would they not be? They are all grown ups, and, with exception of Dan, they have been there before. IMO LE gave him a few friendly instructions about what to do when he finds something, how to reach them and so on. And they would like to know where he was and if he made it out of the mountains safely.

I'd like to think that they kept an eye on him so that while he walked there on his own, he was not all alone.

 

[RickshawFan]

She did have a Sawyer water filter according to kit list in DC's dossier, and it's next to a lake.

ETA: I looked at this one for myself a couple of years ago, but it seems to have tripled in price from what I recall !
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SAWYER-PRODUCTS-Water-Filtration-System/dp/B0185QNVE2

Filter notes:
As I understand it, ED was carrying the inline version of the Sawyer water filter. These are popular with AT thru hikers. They're very cheap, $20 or so. Folks on really tight budgets use them and/or folks like hikers who have them in their daypacks as part of their 10 essentials kit. If you're in an earthquake (or other, e.g. hurricane) area where water might be compromised, they would be very helpful to have in a Grab 'n' Go Bag.
They are light and basic. Filtered water tastes VERY nice.
The filter has to be replaced when it has reached its max (i.e. when it won't cooperate with you).
Folks who have a little more money try to upgrade for $10 or so, because the more expensive filters are more versatile (e.g. you can hang a bag of water, and drip it through the filter, eliminating manual filtering) and less prone to equipment failure, which is a big problem if you're not near a town.
If the filter is inline on a bladder on your pack, you have to use your great sucking power to pull water through the filter. However, I did not see an inline filter on the hose on ED's pack. Maybe someone else did?
If you don't use the filter inline on your bladder, you fill your dirty water flexible bottle with dirty water, attach the inline sawyer filter, and force the water (by manually rolling/squeezing the flexible bag) through the filter into a container that is for clean water.
I use a different filter set up myself, because the Sawyer inline involves too much hassle to get sufficient potable water to avoid dehydration (in my case), but Sawyer filters are popular with thru hikers.
All equipment has pros and cons.
Hope that helps.

 

[RickshawFan]

From Nov 30th:

French police sent a search team of sixteen people up the mountain on Monday along with national police experts.

'Her partner is up looking for her too. However, he prefers to walk alone,' said Pierre Gaillard of the PGMH mountain gendarmes in Luchon.

'He has already retraced her route as it's not a difficult path. Now he is in another area. He's involved, he's trying to understand and doesn't want to stay down in the valley waiting.'

Missing British 'van life' travel blogger's boyfriend scours the Pyrenees | Daily Mail Online

Yes, those were the words. My reading of this statement was that it was very terse, as though it was said through clenched teeth. IIRC, I read it in the French, so the tone stood out. Maybe @10ofRods got a fix on the tone that didn't come off in the English?

 

[10ofRods]

Why would he lie? It would be immediately verifiable by police. I doubt he was the first on the scene, SAR would have checked the refuge for signs before they did anything else.

He could just be confused. It can happen to anyone.

 

[RedHaus]

It was also clear there was no running water at the Refuge during the winter months as well as no wifi. This is contradicted in the dossier.

RickshawFan, I found the discrepancy in potable water availability at the Refuge de V, significant too. Here is a snip of the relevant statement from page 12 of DC's dossier. If the statement is true, it certainly diminishes the odds that ED made a risky venture down to one of the small lakes at the refuge for water to filter:


Source: https://42cc80b7-be3b-41e3-a85b-18b...d/4addd9_d8c55b489c6f445b96d6324dd882f5a1.pdf

 

[RedHaus]

Maybe that last call to Dan made her decide to try and get back to the campervan ASAP and try to get home to him. Which leaves us with a hitchhike that went wrong.

snipped for focus

You know, CoverMeCagney, I still wonder if ED just decided to abort her plan to hike the "loop" after she spoke with DC or as she descended from the summit of Pic de Sauvegarde. Those last few electronic interactions ED had with DC, per DC's dossier, IMO spoke of some reluctance from ED. She may not have wanted to proceed with her plans after all - perhaps she was ambivalent for some reason and decided to abort.

IMO there could be five possible reasons why that could happen:

1. She missed Dan so much, she just decided to surprise him with an early return - she decided she'd had enough and just wanted to get back 'home'
2. She felt the temperature dropping quickly and at 4:40pm on 22/11 the dark and dim looking valley and refuge beyond the Port de Vanesque was not inviting
3. She did not feel optimally well (e.g. Covid symptoms, menstrual cramps, fatigued, insatiable hunger or thirst, food poisoning, depressed, etc.)
4. She dropped her cell phone at the Pic de S summit and it was broken or was not safely retrievable and she decided it was unsafe to proceed with her hiking plans
5. She just wanted to get back to her van or just wanted to get somewhere else entirely - back to the possible voluntary disappearance idea perhaps

Of course if she did abort her intended plans and descended from the summit at 4:10pm on 22/11, then she would have likely stayed overnight at the at the Cabane de la Besurtas (where she stayed 21/11), bivouaced somewhere on her route to Banasque, tried to hike back to her van in the dark (with her headlamps) and/or hitched a ride.

Since ED disappeared without a trace, this scenario falls apart a bit when you consider she had a cell phone. But she might not have used the cell phone with reasons 1, 4 or 5 outlined above. That said, hiking down to Banasque in the dark or hitching a ride that night could have been her downfall, as we have discussed before.

Just trying to keep the options open...

 

[RedHaus]

In my last post, I mentioned the last few electronic interactions between ED and DC. I interpreted the recounting of those interactions in DC's dossier (p.7) as showing some reluctance on the part of ED. Her 16:04 text seems to say 'I am off'... but then at 16:06 she says she is 'still in the same area', and again is taking off. And further, it is unclear why there was a 16:07 video chat between them after what appeared to be a final 'sign-off' by ED via text just before. Was ED reluctant to go?

16:04: “I’m heading off now…Maybe have signal but not sure. Sorry. I think I can see you !!!”

16:06: “Still in the same area. Tomorrow heading for Port de le Glere or something spelt like that. Might dip into France. Hoping Refuge Venasque has a winter room. Keep you posted when can xx” “Love you *advertiser censored*”

16:07 – Video Call with Dan lasting for 1:36

I know DC has recalled that last video call as being all smiles and love. But it would be very helpful to know what they talked about in more detail to get at state of minds. Did ED express any ambivalence? Was she anxious about her last solo trek? How was she feeling physically, emotionally? Did she mention the possibility of aborting?

Anyone else have the same reaction?

Source: https://42cc80b7-be3b-41e3-a85b-18b...d/4addd9_d8c55b489c6f445b96d6324dd882f5a1.pdf