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

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CoverMeCagney said:
They can cover a large amount of any terrain pretty closely by using drones.

I know what you mean though, and I won’t be shocked if she’s found soon. But if she’s not.... where did she go?
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But as we learned from an 18 month search for a missing man dressed in neutral colors in a small rocky canyon in the US, eagle-eyed people have to view every inch in the drone footage, looking for anything 'odd'.
 
Satchie said:
But as we learned from an 18 month search for a missing man dressed in neutral colors in a small rocky canyon in the US, eagle-eyed people have to view every inch in the drone footage, looking for anything 'odd'.
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But he was reduced to almost nothing. ED hasn't been missing that long, and her pack is red, per the photo.
 
I trust the Guardian for producing reliable reports:

" It’s complicated to find someone up there because part of the area is under snow...Dingley was on the Chemin de l’Impératrice (Empress Path) hiking route via Port de Venasque before heading for Porte de la Glère in the Luchon valley, along mountain corridors at altitudes of up to 2,738 metres (8,990ft) on the French-Spanish border...she put her phone on airplane mode to save the battery and there is no data use or GPS trace..."If she stayed on the paths she shouldn’t have had a problem, but sometimes with the snow and ice at altitude it’s difficult to follow the paths,” Gaillard said, adding that Dingley was wearing dark clothes and carrying a grey rucksack...investigators had not ruled out any theory"

Gendarmes to scale down search for British hiker Esther Dingley in Pyrenees
 
The pack is red, per the photo. The harness is grey. The pack is dark red.

128035980_1482496578614386_7593474958628005285_o.jpg
 
Something seems off. Judging by her FB, Esther is very familiar with the area having been living in the midi Pyrenees region since April 2018 - so over two and a half years based in the area. She spent the initial confinement period in the area. At first I thought she was an adventurous traveller that had simply disregarded or maybe not even known about the confinement orders and had set out on a hike but she very well knew what the rules were and openly defied them.
My in laws live in a village about an hour away from Pic Sauvegarde ( on the French side) and are very impressed by the level of organization to manage this quarantine by the authorities and the respect and compliance that mostly all citizens have for the strict orders. They are Canadian expats and we normally visit them every year except this one so I know the general area. I’m surprised that Esther set out on an overnight hike knowing she would have to use facilities that may or may not have been accessible during quarantine and I’m also surprised that no nosy villager denounced or reported her actions if they spotted her for an extended period of time out and about. Small villagers in the region don’t take to kindly to foreigners flouting the rules.
 
GinaSeikwa said:
I’m also surprised that no nosy villager denounced or reported her actions if they spotted her for an extended period of time out and about. Small villagers in the region don’t take to kindly to foreigners flouting the rules.
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This is what surprised me too.

My hinky meter is pinging on this but I shall sit on my hands for now.
 
DEC 2, 2020
Search for British hiker missing in Pyrenees called off (connexionfrance.com)
[...]

Pierre Gaillard, the deputy commander of the high-mountain gendarmerie platoon of Bagnères de Luchon, told The Connexion that a judicial inquiry has now been opened in France to determine the cause of her disappearance.

French authorities are not ruling out the possibility that her disappearance is unrelated to a mountain accident.

“The goal is to determine if she has been lost on the mountain or somewhere else,” Mr Gaillard said.

[...]

Mr Gaillard said the mountain search was called off yesterday afternoon (December 1) due to poor weather.

“The weather is bad and there is snow. If we return to the area there will be no value. We won’t see anything,” he said.

[...]
 
For anyone in the UK, Esther's partner has just given an interview on BBC Breakfast. It should be available on Catch Up/iPlayer at some point today. The interview began at approx 0850am.
Unfortunately I was unable to give it my full attention as I was busy with work but I will try to listen to it again this evening.

Hopefully another WSer saw it?
 
GinaSeikwa said:
Something seems off. Judging by her FB, Esther is very familiar with the area having been living in the midi Pyrenees region since April 2018 - so over two and a half years based in the area. She spent the initial confinement period in the area. At first I thought she was an adventurous traveller that had simply disregarded or maybe not even known about the confinement orders and had set out on a hike but she very well knew what the rules were and openly defied them.
My in laws live in a village about an hour away from Pic Sauvegarde ( on the French side) and are very impressed by the level of organization to manage this quarantine by the authorities and the respect and compliance that mostly all citizens have for the strict orders. They are Canadian expats and we normally visit them every year except this one so I know the general area. I’m surprised that Esther set out on an overnight hike knowing she would have to use facilities that may or may not have been accessible during quarantine and I’m also surprised that no nosy villager denounced or reported her actions if they spotted her for an extended period of time out and about. Small villagers in the region don’t take to kindly to foreigners flouting the rules.
Click to expand...

She wasn't visiting French villages, she was staying in Spain and hiking the mountains where no one lives. She had a small tent and IMO would camp near the mountain huts, which are closed this time of year. IMO the lockdown is only relevant in that fewer other people would have been hiking.
 
PommyMommy said:
DEC 2, 2020
Search for British hiker missing in Pyrenees called off (connexionfrance.com)
[...]

Pierre Gaillard, the deputy commander of the high-mountain gendarmerie platoon of Bagnères de Luchon, told The Connexion that a judicial inquiry has now been opened in France to determine the cause of her disappearance.

French authorities are not ruling out the possibility that her disappearance is unrelated to a mountain accident.

“The goal is to determine if she has been lost on the mountain or somewhere else,” Mr Gaillard said.

[...]

Mr Gaillard said the mountain search was called off yesterday afternoon (December 1) due to poor weather.

“The weather is bad and there is snow. If we return to the area there will be no value. We won’t see anything,” he said.

[...]
Click to expand...
Sad news.

My impression is a judicial inquiry means a solo judge has been appointed to actively investigates a case, like the police would in other countries. It's usually done in secrecy to protect the case and privacy of witnesses, ie it does not mean an open inquiry before an impartial judge. It surprises me that anyone thinks a determination can be made about what happened, when she hasn't been found.
 
CoverMeCagney said:
Good work, Nick. So that was the photo she uploaded to Instagram on 21st. Can you also locate this photo which was Whatsapped to Dan on 22nd? I'd be interested to know exactly where that was too. No pressure!

128035980_1482496578614386_7593474958628005285_o.jpg
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Hi Cags, long time etc xx

This photo you have posted, it's in the same spot pretty much as my link, but she has turned round facing a slightly different angle. At this point, the background is France, pic is taken a few metres away from the radio mast but the background is pointing towards a North direction.

If you zoom in on the photo, her left lens on her sunglasses shows the same radio mast and solar panel area.

Imagine, she hits the summit, then takes loads of selfies, all from the same spot but she is rotating herself for the different backgrounds. If this is the one she sent to him, then there may be a reason for this. Hard to see but in the background in the valley to the left edge of that photo as we see it, there is a town called Luchon and it's various small connections. I wonder if there is significance to that particular selfie she took and sent to him?

Does anyone know exactly where Daniel was supposed to be staying? House sitting somewhere?
 
hitthenick said:
Hi Cags, long time etc xx

This photo you have posted, it's in the same spot pretty much as my link, but she has turned round facing a slightly different angle. At this point, the background is France, pic is taken a few metres away from the radio mast but the background is pointing towards a North direction.

If you zoom in on the photo, her left lens on her sunglasses shows the same radio mast and solar panel area.

Imagine, she hits the summit, then takes loads of selfies, all from the same spot but she is rotating herself for the different backgrounds. If this is the one she sent to him, then there may be a reason for this. Hard to see but in the background in the valley to the left edge of that photo as we see it, there is a town called Luchon and it's various small connections. I wonder if there is significance to that particular selfie she took and sent to him?

Does anyone know exactly where Daniel was supposed to be staying? House sitting somewhere?
Click to expand...

So if both photos were taken on the same day, she uploaded the first to Instagram on 21st and apparently sent Dan the other on 22nd.
 
Faz42 said:
He spoke about her in past tense throughout the video.
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I watched the interview - sadly this stuck out to me too.

Also, the interviewer asked him a couple of times what he was trying to achieve by appearing on UK TV, and he didn't actually seem to answer that question. Nor exactly what the Spanish or French police are saying the other options of what has happened to her may be.
 
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