Don't know if I'm doing this correctly (or in the right place), but am trying to put together a Timeline and a list of Information revealed so far; please add, correct, clarify, expand if you see something incorrect or have new information. Info and Clarity from official LE sources are bafflingly scarce on this one!
Background/Timeline for Helen Bailey, UK
MISSING PERSON:
HELEN BAILEY & MINI DACHSHUND, BORIS
HELEN BAILEY, AGE 51
HOME: Royston, HERTFORDSHIRE UK
2ND HOME IN BROADSTAIRS, KENT
GREW UP Newcastle, NORTHUMBERLAND
FOND OF Brighton
PROFESSION: CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR
PARTNER OF: IAN STEWART
WIDOW OF JOHN SINFIELD – DIED by downing, 27 FEBRUARY 2011, Barbados
RELATIVES: (Could be others—these were mentioned by media)
1) HER MOTHER
2) HER BROTHER, JOHN BAILEY
HER COUSINS:
1) JUDITH IRELAND, 67, SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE
2) MIKE WIFFER, BRIDLINGTON, EAST YORKSHIRE
Ian Stewart
Partner, possibly fiancé, of Helen Bailey.
Met one another 7 months after the death of Helen’s husband on Grief Message Board, approximately November 2011.
Stewart lost his wife in 2010; her name was Diane. No obituary found after an Internet search. Press refers to her death as “tragic circumstances.” Do not know where he lived at the time of wife’s death, but media has him living in Letchworth, Hertfordshire when he and Helen met.
Stewart currently lives in house Helen and Stewart bought together; has his two adult sons living with them.
Some Known Friends (She has many)
Jay Nolan-Latchford and Emma Sandalls who apparently live in the area. And Shelley Whitehead, her friend, and Grief Counselor.
Hitchen Police On Case
Ch. Insp. Julie Wheatley
Lead Investigator Lynda Coates
Would love to find the email of either of these two.
TIMELINE (As revealed in media so far; of course there may be, probably are, elements that purposefully have not been released by LE):
11 April 2016 Last known sighting of Helen, walking her dog, Boris; could have been neighbors or other dog walkers.
One person saw Helen at 2:45 pm and said she was wearing a silvery coat. Unclear if sighting was done by person who actually knew Helen.
11 April 2016 According to Ian Stewart, her partner, Helen left note for him while he was out doing errands. Note said she needed some time alone, going to Broadstairs.
12 April 2016 A truck driver reports seeing a woman matching Helen’s description wearing a green coat and walking a dog; in Baldock; The green coat appeared to be missing; later reports indicate the truck driver saw a woman, but in Hatch Lane of Westin, and no dog; Helen’s green coat was found at home; police issued this correction on 22 April 2016
15 April 2016 Ian Stewart reports Helen Bailey Missing; says he drove to Broadstairs but did not find her.
4/17/16 The Guardian First Media Report (I think)
4/19/16 Hertfordshire Police tweet about missing Helen Bailey (AND another missing children’s book author, Natalya Shieff— Shieff was found alive and well.
4/19/16 J.K. Rowling re-tweets Hertfordshire police tweet.
4/21/16 Police drain Helen’s garden cesspit and take ‘sniffer’ dogs into the house.
4/26/16 Media (Daily Mail, etc) reports Helen had access to large sum of money. Ch. Insp. Julie Wheatley, Hertfordshire Police had the following quote attributed to her: ‘There has been no financial activity but we know she had, instantly available, quite large sums of cash. A four-figure sum.’
Wheatley has also said there has been no activity on any of Helen’s accounts (no large sums of money withdrawn) and no digital footprint of any activity (ie, social media)
Over Next Two Weeks: Various media reports, nothing substantially new in reports
5/12/16 Ian Stewart makes public appeal to Helen.
5/12/16 Helen’s brother, John Bailey, holds press conference, reads statement with appeal to Helen and anyone who sees her.
Miscellaneous Information and/or Observations:
1. There is no apparent evidence of any kind that Helen went to Broadstairs, or even left Royston.
2. Her cell phone is turned off. While model of phone not indicated, most likely scenario is that it cannot be turned on (even by national security entities!)
3. She apparently left with her purse, but no luggage, no passport. No other apparent preparations had been made for any trip.
4. Police report that she left a note that she “needed some time alone and was going to Broadstairs.” There were no comments as to if the police actually saw said note, or, if they did, when it was written, or how it was written (typed, handwritten, text email). No comment on current existence of note (was it tossed? does LE have copy or original?--lack of comment leads one to presume note was tossed).
5. Her family and friends assert this is completely “uncharacteristic” of Helen to disappear.
6. Ian Stewart says that there had been no argument or problem.
7. Bailey and Stewart had lived together for about a year, along with his two adult sons in their early twenties.
8. It is unclear, from media reports, if Helen actually availed herself of the large sum of cash the Chief Detective said she kept at home; further, it is not known who knew she had a large sum of cash at home; further, it is not known if Helen knew she had a large sum of cash at home, and/or when she knew it.
9. Ian Stewart reported that he drove to Broadstairs on 4/15/16 but did not find Helen there; that was when he said he returned home and called the police to report Helen missing.
10. No mention has been made of Ian Stewart’s profession—or job, if any, but apparently, he has recently had health problems. He recently was recovering from an operation. Police report that he is “very distraught” and asking that no media contact him. Neighbors state that the police referred to Helen as Ian’s fiancé.
11. The 5th anniversary of the death of Helen’s husband was February, 27, 2016, about 48 days before her disappearance.
12. Helen’s husband died by drowning; In an ironic twist, all of the titles in her popular Electra Brown series (written from 2008 onwards, and which appear to be available only in paperback, no ebook) reflect a water theme: Falling Hook, Line and Sinker, Out of My Depth, Swimming Against the Tide, Taking the Plunge, Life at the Shallow End, etc.
13. She is the author of the highly popular Panet Grief blog. On her blog, she has made a couple telling statements. She has said she never should have left London and that she’s not used to not being able to hail a cab. On February 27, 2016 she posted a blog entry marking the five-year anniversary of husband’s death and difficulty she faced moving on. A few days before that she wrote of being “tired and strung out.”
About herself she has said: “When things go wrong in my life, broadly speaking, my first reaction is to shut down, hide, refuse to answer the phone or emails and lie on the sofa watching trashy telly with a packet of Almond Slices resting on my tummy.”
14. Her friends and family thought she was happy and all say this is out of character for the Helen they knew, despite the on going dealing with grief. Apparently, Ian’s recovery from the procedure was going along fine. A couple people said his health was a concern for her.
