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

[CoverMeCagney]

Can someone post the ‘man in the van’ pic please?

 

[Grouse]

Well, as it turns out, the motorhome in that blog is not their current one... a different model! I believe they've had three. But your points are well taken of course. I do wonder how much the witness saw up close. Ahh.. to know the facts!

No, the pic I'm looking at is the definitely the correct one - its the Chausson as in the witnesses photo, same registration number AY,.....

 

[Grouse]

Can someone post the ‘man in the van’ pic please?

It's this one I'm looking at (zoomed in big time) Search for Esther Dingley: Spanish police say it's 'impossible' and all but give up | Daily Mail Online

 

[RedHaus]

Can someone post the ‘man in the van’ pic please?

And here is just the pic I saved from that article @Grouse just posted.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

It's this one I'm looking at (zoomed in big time) Search for Esther Dingley: Spanish police say it's 'impossible' and all but give up | Daily Mail Online

Thank you. If anyone really thinks they can see someone there, they should look up pareidolia!

 

[patCee]

No it doesn't seem solid enough to be the dark red cushions shown along the back wall in ED.DCs pics. In the lit up area there's a shape low down against the white area, and to the right, against the edge of the light area there looks to be another sketchy shape thats higher than the low down shape on the left. Difficult to see whether it's a person.

 

[RedHaus]

No, the pic I'm looking at is the definitely the correct one - its the Chausson as in the witnesses photo, same registration number AY,.....

This one, right Grouse? My mistake... this is their current Fiat motorhome... I saw their old blog below citing another...

 

[Grouse]

Thank you. If anyone really thinks they can see someone there, they should look up pareidolia!

No, I agree. I've deffo got the right van and cushions but it's far too speculative. Back to catching up on the David Lytton thread methinks. Nothing to see here (quite literally )

 

[RedHaus]

Thank you. If anyone really thinks they can see someone there, they should look up pareidolia!

Fair enough, CMC. You mean we're losing our minds trying to sleuth this case?

Pareidolia - Wikipedia.

So then, what did the witness see??

 

[Grouse]

This one, right Grouse? My mistake... this is their current Fiat motorhome... I saw their old blog below citing another...
View attachment 282472

Yeah Redhaus, that's the one I linked to, it's the Chausson that was parked up in Benasque. Pillows on the right, cushions along the back.

 

[stmarysmead]

I’m a side sleeper and if I’m in a bed alone, I can end up with my head and back somewhat against the headboard like this figure seems to me. Especially if there’s a dog who won’t move sleeping at my feet.

 

[patCee]

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Fair enough, CMC. You mean we're losing our minds trying to sleuth this case?

Pareidolia - Wikipedia.

So then, what did the witness see??

I’m not saying the witness DIDN’T see him, I’m sure she did. I’m saying we can’t, not from that photo anyway, for starters the seats are in the way!

 

[patCee]

Still not sure but it's clearer in the pic I posted above.

 

[RedHaus]

I’m a side sleeper and if I’m in a bed alone, I can end up with my head and back somewhat against the headboard like this figure seems to me. Especially if there’s a dog who won’t move sleeping at my feet.

OK, but backwards? From the pic that @Grouse had us focus on, you can see the pillows to the right. So I tried to create an image of what a 'normal' position might be on that bed - directionally. I've seen pics of DC just like this in other blogs.

 

[stmarysmead]

Why would anyone trying not to be noticed...sleep with the light on?

 

[RickshawFan]

I don't see a person at all in the parked van.
It's possible a light got left on when they did the forensic search. Or when LE moved it to park it next to their building... Or, LE could have brought a battery lantern and left it there by mistake. Maybe the blanket's rucked up. Maybe the pillows are tossed about a bit. ED could have done that while packing. There's no reason she had to leave the inside of the van ship shape.

There are so many explanations other than foul play. Heck, a bat could have flown past a nearby street light, and it would look like there was movement in the van.

My problem with this kind of detail in this case is that I feel we're grasping at straws, and we're ending up with the tail wagging the dog. JMHO.

I'm back to Reddy's scenarios on the mountains. Personally, I'm back to "this is an acccident". IMO ED wasn't skilled enough or prepared enough for the trip she said she was doing. She had no experience in winter conditions. She was solo. She was in the habit of not bringing enough food. There's no emergency equipment listed among the gear, no first aid kit, no socks, emergency transponder... Life threatening accident waiting to happen. Even if it began as something "minor", there is no "minor" in her situation.

IMO, there's 98% chance of a mountain accident. I would trust the SAR on this.

For the extremely advanced, the risks of having an accident are intimidating, no matter their skill; they don't just disappear for anyone, and they are much higher in this case. A fall on a slippery trail, going too fast on a descent and doing a flying somersault, sliding off a glacier, diving after a phone, ANYTHING.

Just to give you an example in another context. I was out paddling a kayak in a very small lake. Actually, it was called a "pond". Calm as calm. EZ PZ. Lovely day. Nothing to suggest there was any risk at all. However, the woman I was with said something that made me laugh. Whadda you know, I laughed so hard, I tipped the kayak over and fell in! It was such a shock to find myself in the water. Luckily, I had the presence of mind to unhook the spray skirt from the coaming as I flew out of the cockpit, so at least my head wasn't held underwater. There was no value in experience. No value in skill. And I could have died in that moment. From LAUGHING.

 

[stmarysmead]

OK, but backwards? From the pic that @Grouse had us focus on, you can see the pillows to the right. So I tried to create an image of what a 'normal' position might be on that bed - directionally. I've seen pics of DC just like this in other blogs.
View attachment 282475

So the position of the head isn’t supposedly be where the pillows are?

 

[CoverMeCagney]

I don't see a person at all in the parked van.
It's possible a light got left on when they did the forensic search. Or when LE moved it to park it next to their building... Or, they could have brought a battery lantern and left it there by mistake. There are so many explanations other than foul play.
My problem with this kind of detail in this case is that I feel we're grasping at straws.

I think we’ve been grasping at straws for a few weeks now! One day one of us just might grasp the right straw. Hopefully, anyway.

I change my mind on a daily basis about what happened to Esther. Nothing is off the table, but as searches haven’t been fully concluded it means that she could simply be in the mountains still, slightly off route or fallen, and everything we’ve ever sleuthed will be completely immaterial. Certainly wouldn’t be the first time!

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Why would anyone trying not to be noticed...sleep with the light on?

Well, exactly this! Really unlikely to be anything nefarious about it (aside from slightly dubious police protocol, perhaps!)