Found Safe UK - Owami Davies, 24, from Chafford Hundred, Essex, last seen in Croydon, Surrey, 6 Jul 2022

[Whitehall 1212]

Thank you for your reply. I had presumed she had been living with her mother in Essex. My thoughts about coersive control were veering towards th possibility she might have been emotionally blackmailed ,perhaps someone threatening to tell her family or work about something in her life if she did not do what was asked of her.

I suppose anything is possible, although what you describe would probably come under harassment/stalking....blackmail is generally for financial gain.

Of course if there was some kind of violent act as a result then the substantive offence for that specific crime would apply.

What comes to mind is that OD was vulnerable either through drink/drugs/mental state and that police believe that a group of men some/all/none that were known to OD chose to take advantage of her vulnerability.

We know that motive in such cases is predominantly sexual offending but without finding OD we would be unlikely to know.

I think the police are really struggling for significant evidence without finding OD.

 

[LeahBee]

There are various definitions for when a missing person is treated as possible murder. For some forces it needs evidence of harm, e.g. blood found in boot of car. Other forces go down that line when there is nothing to indicate the person went anywhere of their own volition.

The Met say OD is still a missing person....yet they had enough suspicion to lock 5 up for murder or kidnap....that frazzles my brain....I suspect it's all very political

Rsbm/bbm
I keep thinking of Gaia Pope where three people were pretty quickly arrested on suspicion of murder when she went missing. All were released and once GP's body was found, foul play was ruled out

It makes me skeptical now when I see people arrested on huge accusations seemingly without much to go on... idk if it's common in UK cases or? Pardon my ignorance. In other countries it seems to take a bit more time/evidence to arrest on suspicion of murder/kidnap

Basically 5 people being arrested over OD's disappearance isn't holding a lot of weight for me until we get more concrete information.

OD looks... sad.. broken? in these photos being released. It's such a contrast from what we've seen about her previously. I want to still hold out hope for her, it's heartbreaking to imagine what she could have been struggling with recently

Found Deceased - UK - Gaia Pope, 19, Swanage, Dorset, 7 Nov 2017 #1

Gaia Pope, 19, was last seen at 3.45pm yesterday at an address she had been staying at in Swanage, Dorset. Gaia, from Langton Matravers, Dorset, has been described as being 5ft 7ins tall, of medium build and with long, mousey blonde hair. She was last seen wearing a black fur-trimmed jacket...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Whitehall 1212]

Rsbm/bbm
I keep thinking of Gaia Pope where three people were pretty quickly arrested on suspicion of murder when she went missing. All were released and once GP's body was found, foul play was ruled out

It makes me skeptical now when I see people arrested on huge accusations seemingly without much to go on... idk if it's common in UK cases or? Pardon my ignorance. In other countries it seems to take a bit more time/evidence to arrest on suspicion of murder/kidnap

Basically 5 people being arrested over OD's disappearance isn't holding a lot of weight for me until we get more concrete information.

OD looks... sad.. broken? in these photos being released. It's such a contrast from what we've seen about her previously. I want to still hold out hope for her, it's heartbreaking to imagine what she could have been struggling with recently

Found Deceased - UK - Gaia Pope, 19, Swanage, Dorset, 7 Nov 2017 #1

Gaia Pope, 19, was last seen at 3.45pm yesterday at an address she had been staying at in Swanage, Dorset. Gaia, from Langton Matravers, Dorset, has been described as being 5ft 7ins tall, of medium build and with long, mousey blonde hair. She was last seen wearing a black fur-trimmed jacket...

www.websleuths.com

It is important to understand how the UK police have to conduct themselves regarding arresting suspects, which they must comply with by law.

Police must have had sufficient evidence to suspect that the offences of murder and kidnap had been committed and enough suspicion to suspect the males arrested of committing those offences.

Once in custody the arresting officers/s will have to explain the reasons for arrest and the Custody Sergeant may authorise detention based on the arrests being lawful and reaching the required level of suspicion.

These checks and balances will also have been done by the arrested persons solicitor, during Inspector rank reviews at 6 hours and every 9 hours thereafter, Supintendent rank review at 24 hours and at 36 hours when a Magistrates permission was sought for further detention and every occasion thereafter.

The evidence required for a charge is significantly more than for arrest.

Not only is reasonable suspicion required for arrest but the arrest must be necessary for the prompt and effective investigation by questioning, the preservation of evidence, to prevent someone absconding and a host of other possible reasons.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

Has anything been said about why it has taken so long for the met police to make appeals to the public? She was reported missing on the 6th and the first appeal from the met police I can find was on the 31st.

First appeal was by Essex Police on July 11.

 

[LeahBee]

It is important to understand how the UK police have to conduct themselves regarding arresting suspects, which they must comply with by law.

Police must have had sufficient evidence to suspect that the offences of murder and kidnap had been committed and enough suspicion to suspect the males arrested of committing those offences.

Once in custody the arresting officers/s will have to explain the reasons for arrest and the Custody Sergeant may authorise detention based on the arrests being lawful and reaching the required level of suspicion.

These checks and balances will also have been done by the arrested persons solicitor, during Inspector rank reviews at 6 hours and every 9 hours thereafter, Supintendent rank review at 24 hours and at 36 hours when a Magistrates permission was sought for further detention and every occasion thereafter.

The evidence required for a charge is significantly more than for arrest.

Not only is reasonable suspicion required for arrest but the arrest must be necessary for the prompt and effective investigation by questioning, the preservation of evidence, to prevent someone absconding and a host of others.

Thank you! When you say "other forces go down that line when there is nothing to indicate the person went anywhere of their own volition" can you give me an example of what this may look like? Just so I can wrap my little brain around why 5 arrests may occur with no physical evidence in the form of blood, etc.
I can understand the kidnap arrests if there was perhaps footage of her being forced into a vehicle, building, or whatnot. Or even a text being sent out to a friend that she's scared to leave a location.
Of course this is all IMO and hypothetical but I'm curious what the standard is for these types of arrests, especially because in the case of GP, it was never revealed why three people were arrested, and she died of hypothermia, so there was no traumatic injuries leaving physical evidence.
Sorry if this is long and rambling, I had to stop my sleeping pills and caffeine at the same time. So no sleep + no caffeine makes me a dummy

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

There was obviously something going on:

Ms Davies left her family home in Chafford Hundred, near Grays in Essex, on July 4, saying she was going to the gym.

How and why did she go from Essex to Croydon? Sounds like there was something she was going to do that she didn't want to tell on. And how did they track her to Croydon?

Owami Davies: Three men bailed in hunt for missing nurse

Three men have been bailed as police renew their appeal for the whereabouts of missing nurse Owami Davies.

www.standard.co.uk

 

[Whitehall 1212]

Thank you! When you say "other forces go down that line when there is nothing to indicate the person went anywhere of their own volition" can you give me an example of what this may look like? Just so I can wrap my little brain around why 5 arrests may occur with no physical evidence in the form of blood, etc.
I can understand the kidnap arrests if there was perhaps footage of her being forced into a vehicle, building, or whatnot. Or even a text being sent out to a friend that she's scared to leave a location.
Of course this is all IMO and hypothetical but I'm curious what the standard is for these types of arrests, especially because in the case of GP, it was never revealed why three people were arrested, and she died of hypothermia, so there was no traumatic injuries leaving physical evidence.
Sorry if this is long and rambling, I had to stop my sleeping pills and caffeine at the same time. So no sleep + no caffeine makes me a dummy

The thing to try and understand is the notion of what amounts to 'reasonable suspicion'.

It is a difficult concept and one I certainly struggled with when I joined the police all those years ago.

You don't need the evidence that proves they committed the crime to arrest, just a reasonable suspicion.

All you need is an offence (or one suspected of taking place) and someone who, due to their demeanour, location, clothing, reply to basic questions such as "where are you going/where have you been", association to a victim.....an endless list of possibilities, that a police officer weighs up which they decide requires that an individual needs to be arrested for various reasons, e.g. obtain evidence by questioning, prevent loss of evidence, prevent someone absconding and many more.

To put it another way, if you didn't arrest, is there a reasonable likelihood that you are allowing an offender to walk away.

It's a decision based on input from a whole host of policing skills, essentially soft skills.

I can't put it any better, as really you have to have done the job to understand how you form the 'reasonable suspicion' required for arrest.

 

[Whitehall 1212]

And how did they track her to Croydon?

1. Mobile cell site/GPS tracking
2. Financial activity (purchases/cash withdrawals) using debit/credit card.
3. Social media/friends information
4. If she drives/in a known vehicle then ANPR tracking
5. Oyster card use

Probably a combination of these and maybe some less obvious ones.

 

[LeahBee]

The thing to try and understand is the notion of what amounts to 'reasonable suspicion'.

It is a difficult concept and one I certainly struggled with when I joined the police all those years ago.

You don't need the evidence that proves they committed the crime to arrest, just a reasonable suspicion.

All you need is an offence (or one suspected of taking place) and someone who, due to their demeanour, location, clothing, reply to basic questions such as "where are you going/where have you been", association to a victim.....an endless list of possibilities, that a police officer weighs up which they decide requires that an individual needs to be arrested for various reasons, e.g. obtain evidence by questioning, prevent loss of evidence, prevent someone absconding and many more.

To put it another way, if you didn't arrest, is there a reasonable likelihood that you are allowing an offender to walk away.

It's a decision based on input from a whole host of policing skills, essentially soft skills.

I can't put it any better, as really you have to have done the job to understand how you form the 'reasonable suspicion' required for arrest.

I really appreciate the information and explanation. It seems like a difficult position for LE and I hope the investigation is providing some answers.

 

[JuicyLucy]

Here's a link to the new CCTV on the Met site, which shows a wider angle version of the footage so you can see some landmarks:
Owami Davies missing person investigation: new CCTV footage released (bottom of the page)

And here's the spot where Owami was walking:
Google Maps

She hadn't got very far away from West Croydon station - just past the junction with Oakfield Road.

 

[LeahBee]

Here's a link to the new CCTV on the Met site, which shows a wider angle version of the footage so you can see some landmarks:
Owami Davies missing person investigation: new CCTV footage released (bottom of the page)

And here's the spot where Owami was walking:
Google Maps

She hadn't got very far away from West Croydon station - just past the junction with Oakfield Road.

She looks kind of dazed. Almost walks into the box of fruits. Looking at the fruit stand distracted/wearing oversized slides or..?
Imo

 

[proclee]

London Road where this new cctv was recorded is linked to Clarendon Road/Derby Road where she was previously spotted and the house which was searched. She was walking in the direction of Croydon Hospital, It does to me look like she’s holding her waist/hip in slight pain but she obviously didn’t attend the hospital. London Road is FULL of cctv and traffic cameras so I fail to believe that’s the only camera she’s been seen on.. there has to be more along the road to see where she goes or she’d be spotted walking back the same way.
It’s honestly such a confusing case, because in those first few days she was obviously “ok” in the sense she was alive but wasn’t choosing to get into contact with friends/family. London has been very hot in the weeks since she disappeared and I know homeless charities were approaching anyone on the streets during the really hot period over the 18/19 July if she was on the streets she surely would of been seen at some point

 

[JuicyLucy]

London Road where this new cctv was recorded is linked to Clarendon Road/Derby Road where she was previously spotted and the house which was searched. She was walking in the direction of Croydon Hospital, It does to me look like she’s holding her waist/hip in slight pain but she obviously didn’t attend the hospital. London Road is FULL of cctv and traffic cameras so I fail to believe that’s the only camera she’s been seen on.. there has to be more along the road to see where she goes or she’d be spotted walking back the same way.
It’s honestly such a confusing case, because in those first few days she was obviously “ok” in the sense she was alive but wasn’t choosing to get into contact with friends/family. London has been very hot in the weeks since she disappeared and I know homeless charities were approaching anyone on the streets during the really hot period over the 18/19 July if she was on the streets she surely would of been seen at some point

I agree. I think there'll be more CCTV images coming to light, though some will probably have been recorded over by now, given this was all a month ago.

I also wondered about the hospital. I'm not convinced she's holding her side in pain, so much as holding something under her shirt/jacket or reaching into an inside pocket (her wrist is turned away from her abdomen), but I do think she might have seen a hospital as a safe, accessible space to go to (it's well signposted even if she'd never been there before), and might have been in the midst of some other kind of crisis she knew they could help with. I wouldn't rule out the possibility that she did present there, one way or another.

JMO

 

[Whitehall 1212]

I agree. I think there'll be more CCTV images coming to light, though some will probably have been recorded over by now, given this was all a month ago.

I also wondered about the hospital. I'm not convinced she's holding her side in pain, so much as holding something under her shirt/jacket or reaching into an inside pocket (her wrist is turned away from her abdomen), but I do think she might have seen a hospital as a safe, accessible space to go to (it's well signposted even if she'd never been there before), and might have been in the midst of some other kind of crisis she knew they could help with. I wouldn't rule out the possibility that she did present there, one way or another.

JMO

I'm with you that OD is concealing something.....resting on/held in place by her right arm and on top of the wrist in her pocket, with further support from her left hand.

Once OD was identified as having been in Croydon then hospitals within a certain radius will have been checked for attendances/admissions matching her name/description.

 

[JuicyLucy]

I'm with you that OD is concealing something.....resting on/held in place by her right arm and on top of the wrist in her pocket, with further support from her left hand.

Once OD was identified as having been in Croydon then hospitals within a certain radius will have been checked for attendances/admissions matching her name/description.

She knew hospitals, though, and would know what rabbit warrens they are. If I was sleeping rough and had already (perhaps - tbc) been moved on by the police, it's the sort of place I might think of to hang out under the radar. Hospital basements are full of the stuff of everyday life - stores full of bedlinen and uniforms/scrubs, houskeeping trollies with not-very-perishable foods like crackers and biscuits. It would be a building with loos and drinking water and quiet corners to get your head down that was open 24/7, where people can generally wander freely without being challenged. It must have CCTV at the entrances, including to goods/storage areas. Given that scouring CCTV is labour-intensive, it would be a good place to start imo.

 

[Whitehall 1212]

She knew hospitals, though, and would know what rabbit warrens they are. If I was sleeping rough and had already (perhaps - tbc) been moved on by the police, it's the sort of place I might think of to hang out under the radar. Hospital basements are full of the stuff of everyday life - stores full of bedlinen and uniforms/scrubs, houskeeping trollies with not-very-perishable foods like crackers and biscuits. It would be a building with loos and drinking water and quiet corners to get your head down that was open 24/7, where people can generally wander freely without being challenged. It must have CCTV at the entrances, including to goods/storage areas. Given that scouring CCTV is labour-intensive, it would be a good place to start imo.

It's really not as easy as you think.

If she had intimate knowledge of a hospital as a current staff member then she would have been able to access some areas....certainly not all areas.

I've worked in hospitals and the ID cards double as rights controlled access swipe cards to different areas. I could only access ones relevant to my job role.

The use of the card is recorded along with CCTV images at the point of entry for a considerable period of time.

Any hospital that she worked at and still had staff access to should have had their access systems database interrogated to see if she had accessed any area whilst reported missing. Additionally, an alarm notification when her card was used could have been placed on the system....or it could have been blocked.

Of course taking someone's card that provided unfettered access is an unlawful option although it would soon be identifed, reported, blocked and any use checked on the system and CCTV.

Other options are beyond the scope of most folk.....more mission impossible!

 

[proclee]

I think she’s trying to hide her hands, possibly her fingers. The way one hand is so firmly in her front pocket and the other to her side.. I thought she was holding her waist/back/hip as she’s also got a slight limp or drag to the way she’s walking but she could just be trying to keep her hands out of view.
I’ve only just noticed in the distressed body cam photo you can actually see the reflection of the blue light of the police car.

 

[Whitehall 1212]

I’ve only just noticed in the distressed body cam photo you can actually see the reflection of the blue light of the police car.

Re the blue light, are referring to the dark blue area at the bottom of OD's white T-shirt?

I don't think it is a reflection of a blue light....too low down, too limited an area, not bright enough....even if police kept the lights running...... which would be somewhat odd if just talking to someone alongside the car.

Unless I am missing something else?

 

[proclee]

The police car may not be parked directly next to where she’s standing though, at that time of night the road is unlikely to have any spaces so the police car would stop in the middle of the road (it’s only a narrowish street) so the light is actually reflecting over or through another car. This is all just my opinion of course.

 

[Whitehall 1212]

The police car may not be parked directly next to where she’s standing though, at that time of night the road is unlikely to have any spaces so the police car would stop in the middle of the road (it’s only a narrowish street) so the light is actually reflecting over or through another car. This is all just my opinion of course.

It it was pulsing it would be bouncing off the walls too.....there's no blue hue to the white wash on the house behind.