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

[Skigh]

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.

I agree with you.It does appear that she has something concealed in her top which is being held in place by her arm.

 

[Alyce]

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.

I agree. I can see part of a window and side door of a car reflected against Owami's body. I think she may be holding a blue plastic bag with white lettering on it and the reflection is caused by the street light which is virtually overhead at that point.

 

[supersleuth1974]

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.

Lots of cameras along that road in the direction she was heading , assuming she turned off just after this last location?

 

[JuicyLucy]

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!

No, I don't mean ward areas, which of course are swipe card/entryphone controlled. I'm talking about public areas and, in particular, goods/deliveries/facilities/housekeeping areas, which in my experience are not (I've worked in hospitals too).

It will be fantastically labour-intensive to canvass the London Road area asking for private CCTV that may or may not exist and then viewing hours of it speculatively, though I'm sure they'll be doing lots of that too. I'm just saying that I think the focus would be narrower and the returns potentially higher if the police ask for footage of those sorts of areas.

JMO

 

[supersleuth1974]

I just wonder whether she headed in to the church further down the road on the opposite side , otherwise she would have been picked up on more cameras

 

[martinwatts5]

Yes, that was my thought too.

I wonder if she has been staying somewhere dodgy, like a crack house, and was sent out to buy stuff from the shop. What did she buy? Maybe an abusive relationship with someone who dragged her into stuff she wasn't expecting and couldn't cope with? She owed money to someone because of it? Drugs most likely?

The cctv of her walking down the road at night with someone very close behind her--either following her or perhaps more likely he was with her, just she had to walk in front--is very sinister. I agree @whitehall that the white van does not seem to be actually parked up there but more waiting for something, engine running, hence the brake lights. He had all the time in the world to drive off, why go right in front of OD and her "companion" like that? And the car leaving at the same time could be nothing, but it's definitely odd under the circumstances. Wasn't she seen on CCTV later the same day in the red top? So this is not the last time she was seen? Or am I confused here?

I disagree with this. It looks to me that the 2 people are still on the pavement when the van starts to move off. They then move very close to the van but that is not the fault of the van driver.

 

[Whitehall 1212]

No, I don't mean ward areas, which of course are swipe card/entryphone controlled. I'm talking about public areas and, in particular, goods/deliveries/facilities/housekeeping areas, which in my experience are not (I've worked in hospitals too).

It will be fantastically labour-intensive to canvass the London Road area asking for private CCTV that may or may not exist and then viewing hours of it speculatively, though I'm sure they'll be doing lots of that too. I'm just saying that I think the focus would be narrower and the returns potentially higher if the police ask for footage of those sorts of areas.

JMO

Without knowing the hospital, it's not possible to say.

From the ones that I have been assigned to, all around the UK. My experience of the modern ones is that access is very restricted to all areas, including housekeeping, stores and goods in/out etc.

Only waiting areas, foyers, toilets and some connecting corridors are accessible, many of those are one way access with interconnecting doors that have security codes in one direction. If you are hanging around for too long, with no obvious purpose, you are identified by security on CCTV or on patrol or in clinical areas asked by staff.

However, I don't think this is the answer to OD's location. There's more than we know going on....the police are playing catchup with the CCTV and it is the most labour intensive and boring task but you have to maintain total concentration to find the next piece in the puzzle.

Thousands of hours of CCTV and it is impossible to identify, recover and view them all. The SIO will be making calls on which ones are likely to bring results and to prioritise those. Hopefully other lines of investigation will provide some good leads.

 

[JosieJo]

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.

I agree even receptions and cafes in hospitals are known to have people try and get comfortable for a night

 

[proclee]

No, I don't mean ward areas, which of course are swipe card/entryphone controlled. I'm talking about public areas and, in particular, goods/deliveries/facilities/housekeeping areas, which in my experience are not (I've worked in hospitals too).

Also unfortunately Croydon hospital isn’t known for its security. Many Many elderly confused patients have managed to escape out of wards and the hospital without being seen or stopped, So I imagine it’s just as easy for someone to get into them if they really wanted to. It’s also unfortunate that there are many people in Croydon who walk around looking disoriented, for example Croydon was the first place I witnessed a large group of people who had taken spice and were in an absolute state hanging around by the shopping centre.. and this was at 10am! People acting strange in and around the centre itself don’t tend to draw too much attention.
Croydon also still has a tram network which runs along the top end of London Road (close to derby road) and she could easily board one of those without having to pay and could then go on to somewhere completely different

 

[sundaaaay]

I wish we knew more about her friends and social life and could paint a better picture of her personality. I find in every picture or cctv footage she looks completely different!

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

Why all this talk about hospitals. There is no evidence whatsoever she was ever in or near one. Don't you think police would've checked cameras. Many hospitals have security on doors anyway as masks are still asked to be worn by visitors.

The answer I feel to all this lays in the reason she lied about going to a gym and instead took off to Croydon. Who was she meeting there, what was the purpose of going there. Police have probably looked at her phone records and that may have elicited some intel.

 

[Whitehall 1212]

Why all this talk about hospitals. There is no evidence whatsoever she was ever in or near one. Don't you think police would've checked cameras. Many hospitals have security on doors anyway as masks are still asked to be worn by visitors.

The answer I feel to all this lays in the reason she lied about going to a gym and instead took off to Croydon. Who was she meeting there, what was the purpose of going there. Police have probably looked at her phone records and that may have elicited some intel.

It's possible that OD just felt overwhelmed and anxious by all the change that was happening in her life. She was soon to qualify as a nurse....maybe she felt 'imposter syndrome' or exceptionally anxious at the prospect of the responsibility?

Maybe being at home wasn't helping her mental state....I'm sure some of us know how difficult it can be when you go back to your parents, even for a couple of days....the parent/child dynamic is always there!

It could be that all these things conspired, maybe with reduced resilience to the pressure, and she went into fight or flight mode....and chose to run. Maybe OD acted impulsively and in a vulnerable state has ended up at greater risk from others who would wish her harm or seek to take advantage.

Just my thoughts....it's not always obvious when people aren't in a great place and they can so easily find themselves in a far worse position if no one notices and has their back.

It's OK not to be OK.

 

[Konstantin]

Without knowing the hospital, it's not possible to say.

From the ones that I have been assigned to, all around the UK. My experience of the modern ones is that access is very restricted to all areas, including housekeeping, stores and goods in/out etc.

Only waiting areas, foyers, toilets and some connecting corridors are accessible, many of those are one way access with interconnecting doors that have security codes in one direction. If you are hanging around for too long, with no obvious purpose, you are identified by security on CCTV or on patrol or in clinical areas asked by staff.

However, I don't think this is the answer to OD's location. There's more than we know going on....the police are playing catchup with the CCTV and it is the most labour intensive and boring task but you have to maintain total concentration to find the next piece in the puzzle.

Thousands of hours of CCTV and it is impossible to identify, recover and view them all. The SIO will be making calls on which ones are likely to bring results and to prioritise those. Hopefully other lines of investigation will provide some good leads.

Yup, you can't really hang around hospitals at night, wards have visiting hours that are strictly observed and often the doors to them are locked to protect vulnerable patients. Too many vulnerable people in hospitals including lots of kids to let people just wander about. During the day you could probably faff about in the entry areas or cafe or shop for a bit but those close at night. There are limits to how long you could hang out in a hospital even in the daytime. There are security guards who will ask you what your reason is for being there, eventually.

I really hope OD is found soon.

 

[JuicyLucy]

I’ve been looking a little bit at what support is available in Croydon for rough sleepers, as it seems to me that when Croydon Police came across Owami on Clarendon Road, they would have been likely to signpost her to organisations that could help her find somewhere safer to sleep on subsequent nights. Obviously exactly what advice they gave depends on what she told them, but the fact that she was wearing different clothes the next day makes me think she did indeed approach a charity, shelter or similar for help. She might have borrowed clothes from a friend but having a friend near at hand seems less likely to me if she was reported as a rough sleeper, and she might have had a bag stashed somewhere but if so we haven’t seen it and the clothes don’t seem like her style or even her size.

Not to bore anyone with more “talk about hospitals”, but it seems there’s an emergency shelter for rough sleepers based at Croydon Hospital, the Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub:

Funding Boost for Homeless Hub - Croydon Voluntary Action

Croydon Hospital 'Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub' Case Study | Fowler Building Contractors

There is also a health centre a bit further north from the hospital that houses Croydon’s Homeless Pathway Team:

A to Z of services

To access that help she would most likely have had to be referred by Crisis, who are based a bit closer into central Croydon but still within walking distance, on Surrey Street.

Crisis Croydon | Skylight | Crisis UK

I assume once it became apparent that Owami was the same woman as the one captured on bodycam that whatever was recorded will have been used as a way to establish and retrace her movements. It may (or may not) be that that’s how the new CCTV of her on London Road was zeroed in on. I don’t know otherwise how anyone who didn’t know her personally would have picked her out, given how busy that road is and her changed appearance, but that's just my opinion.

If she was signposted towards services for rough sleepers, that doesn’t mean she accessed them of course, and even if she did, that was a month ago and she could be anywhere now.

And none of this answers the key question of why she would be sleeping rough in Croydon instead of in her own bed at home in Essex, although that’s the one thing that we know did happen.

Anyway, I’ve mapped out the various locations, in the hope that it may be useful to anyone who’s helping in the search for her.

Owami Davies - Google My Maps

 

[Skigh]

I’ve been looking a little bit at what support is available in Croydon for rough sleepers, as it seems to me that when Croydon Police came across Owami on Clarendon Road, they would have been likely to signpost her to organisations that could help her find somewhere safer to sleep on subsequent nights. Obviously exactly what advice they gave depends on what she told them, but the fact that she was wearing different clothes the next day makes me think she did indeed approach a charity, shelter or similar for help. She might have borrowed clothes from a friend but having a friend near at hand seems less likely to me if she was reported as a rough sleeper, and she might have had a bag stashed somewhere but if so we haven’t seen it and the clothes don’t seem like her style or even her size.

Not to bore anyone with more “talk about hospitals”, but it seems there’s an emergency shelter for rough sleepers based at Croydon Hospital, the Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub:

Funding Boost for Homeless Hub - Croydon Voluntary Action

Croydon Hospital 'Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub' Case Study | Fowler Building Contractors

There is also a health centre a bit further north from the hospital that houses Croydon’s Homeless Pathway Team:

A to Z of services

To access that help she would most likely have had to be referred by Crisis, who are based a bit closer into central Croydon but still within walking distance, on Surrey Street.

Crisis Croydon | Skylight | Crisis UK

I assume once it became apparent that Owami was the same woman as the one captured on bodycam that whatever was recorded will have been used as a way to establish and retrace her movements. It may (or may not) be that that’s how the new CCTV of her on London Road was zeroed in on. I don’t know otherwise how anyone who didn’t know her personally would have picked her out, given how busy that road is and her changed appearance, but that's just my opinion.

If she was signposted towards services for rough sleepers, that doesn’t mean she accessed them of course, and even if she did, that was a month ago and she could be anywhere now.

And none of this answers the key question of why she would be sleeping rough in Croydon instead of in her own bed at home in Essex, although that’s the one thing that we know did happen.

Anyway, I’ve mapped out the various locations, in the hope that it may be useful to anyone who’s helping in the search for her.

Owami Davies - Google My Maps

I keep checking but there have not been any updates since the last cctv image was shown.
I also wonder why, it they were not her clothes she was wearing ,where were her own clothes, the images were taken days after she went missing so I would have thought would still be wearable.

I agree that key question is why would she be choosing to sleep rough in Croydon?

 

[JuicyLucy]

I've wondered if the clothes in the original cctv (in the shop) were not hers either. They too were a world away from everything she's worn in family photos. iirc, she was in the shower when her mother left the house on Monday 4 July so what she was wearing when she left home may not be known with certainty.

JMO

 

[Dotta]

If I understand correctly Owami left home on 4th and the last street cctv is from the 7th.
Did she communicate with family/friends by phone during these 3 days?

If not - why?

Has she got her phone with her or left it at home?
If she has a phone with her - can't it be traced?

Sorry, I don't follow this case closely but it seems strange that she broke contact and is seen on the street alone.
Maybe she decided to run away for whatever reason?
Hope for good news.

MOO

 

[Skigh]

I've wondered if the clothes in the original cctv (in the shop) were not hers either. They too were a world away from everything she's worn in family photos. iirc, she was in the shower when her mother left the house on Monday 4 July so what she was wearing when she left home may not be known with certainty.

JMO

I just cannot think of a scenario where all the pieces we have been given fit together.


I find it hard to imagine she chose to travel to Croydon to then live on the streets.

Why do the police think she could have been murdered/ kidnapped?

Did she have a contactless bank card with her?. Were there funds in her account ?

None of her friends/ family have recently appealed on msm for her return /information about her whereabouts.

Had family member/friend been to Croydon to search for her?

 

[JuicyLucy]

If I understand correctly Owami left home on 4th and the last street cctv is from the 7th.
Did she communicate with family/friends by phone during these 3 days?

If not - why?

Has she got her phone with her or left it at home?
If she has a phone with her - can't it be traced?

Sorry, I don't follow this case closely but it seems strange that she broke contact and is seen on the street alone.
Maybe she decided to run away for whatever reason?
Hope for good news.

MOO

One of the (many) problems with this case has been that the early reporting was not consistently accurate, and by the time the MSM picked up the story there were inaccuracies that had already spread like chinese whispers. So, for example, it was said that her family were from Essex but that she'd gone missing after leaving home in Croydon; and then later it was confirmed that she'd last been seen leaving the family home in Essex where she lived with her mother and brothers. Also, it was widely published to start with that she'd last been seen on Monday 4 July but not reported missing until a week later on 11 July, whereas the Essex Police investigation reference number makes it clear she was actually reported missing on Wednesday 6 July, which has since been confirmed by family.

I'm saying all of this because the (otherwise reputable) source I'm about to quote is dated 4 August and is quite vague in how it words what it says, so imo it should now be treated with a certain amount of caution. However, what it says, supposedly quoting her mother, is:

“She said she was going to the gym, so I went to do the school run for her youngest brother while Owami took a shower. Within 20 minutes I was back.

“Later when I became concerned, I used the Find My iPhone app which is something I do with all of them. I was curious where she was and she wasn’t at the gym.

“I’ve never known her to know anyone in Croydon. She’s an Essex girl. She likes hanging out in Romford. She doesn’t have many friends, just one best friend.

Tell me where my daughter is, pleads mother of missing Owami Davies

As I say, it's vague. I assumed when I read it (because of the combination of school run and shower) that this all took place in the morning, but I've since read that Owami left home around 4pm, so perhaps it referred to the afternoon school run.

Similarly, it strongly implies that Owami's mother discovered in fairly early course that she (or at least her phone) were in Croydon - but it doesn't actually say that. And if it was evident on Monday 4 July that Owami was in Croydon, it begs the question of why the missing investigation was only handed to the Met on 16 July (again, based on the investigation reference number, which changed to a Met one that day). It's sad to think that if Croydon Police had been alerted to look out for her immediately, the encounter in Clarendon Road might have been handled differently. There may be all sorts of reasons for that, to do with how long it took Owami's mum to report her missing, how the police handle these sorts of enquiries, or all sorts of other details that haven't been reported (e.g. where else her phone showed up or how quickly it went offline, or whether her bank cards had been used and what for, etc, etc).

Afaik, nothing has been said about any contact after that first day, and nothing reliable has been said about potential reasons for her going missing. There's been no talk of an argument or of ongoing problems with family, relationships, studies, money or mental health. Her departure seems to be a complete mystery, likewise the vulnerable state the images of her in Croydon show, and while some social media has seemed to imply that she may have "gotten herself into trouble", nothing of that sort has been confirmed by the police, the media or her family.

It is, as you say, all very strange. It reminds me very much of Richard Okorogheye's disappearance. We can only hope it doesn't end the same way.

JMO

 

[martinwatts5]

One of the (many) problems with this case has been that the early reporting was not consistently accurate, and by the time the MSM picked up the story there were inaccuracies that had already spread like chinese whispers. So, for example, it was said that her family were from Essex but that she'd gone missing after leaving home in Croydon; and then later it was confirmed that she'd last been seen leaving the family home in Essex where she lived with her mother and brothers. Also, it was widely published to start with that she'd last been seen on Monday 4 July but not reported missing until a week later on 11 July, whereas the Essex Police investigation reference number makes it clear she was actually reported missing on Wednesday 6 July, which has since been confirmed by family.

I'm saying all of this because the (otherwise reputable) source I'm about to quote is dated 4 August and is quite vague in how it words what it says, so imo it should now be treated with a certain amount of caution. However, what it says, supposedly quoting her mother, is:

“She said she was going to the gym, so I went to do the school run for her youngest brother while Owami took a shower. Within 20 minutes I was back.

“Later when I became concerned, I used the Find My iPhone app which is something I do with all of them. I was curious where she was and she wasn’t at the gym.

“I’ve never known her to know anyone in Croydon. She’s an Essex girl. She likes hanging out in Romford. She doesn’t have many friends, just one best friend.

Tell me where my daughter is, pleads mother of missing Owami Davies

As I say, it's vague. I assumed when I read it (because of the combination of school run and shower) that this all took place in the morning, but I've since read that Owami left home around 4pm, so perhaps it referred to the afternoon school run.

Similarly, it strongly implies that Owami's mother discovered in fairly early course that she (or at least her phone) were in Croydon - but it doesn't actually say that. And if it was evident on Monday 4 July that Owami was in Croydon, it begs the question of why the missing investigation was only handed to the Met on 16 July (again, based on the investigation reference number, which changed to a Met one that day). It's sad to think that if Croydon Police had been alerted to look out for her immediately, the encounter in Clarendon Road might have been handled differently. There may be all sorts of reasons for that, to do with how long it took Owami's mum to report her missing, how the police handle these sorts of enquiries, or all sorts of other details that haven't been reported (e.g. where else her phone showed up or how quickly it went offline, or whether her bank cards had been used and what for, etc, etc).

Afaik, nothing has been said about any contact after that first day, and nothing reliable has been said about potential reasons for her going missing. There's been no talk of an argument or of ongoing problems with family, relationships, studies, money or mental health. Her departure seems to be a complete mystery, likewise the vulnerable state the images of her in Croydon show, and while some social media has seemed to imply that she may have "gotten herself into trouble", nothing of that sort has been confirmed by the police, the media or her family.

It is, as you say, all very strange. It reminds me very much of Richard Okorogheye's disappearance. We can only hope it doesn't end the same way.

JMO

Yes this could be a similar case to Richard but the 5 police arrests for suspicion of kidnap/murder suggest this is different. What sort of evidence would the police have to do this?