Found Deceased UK - Richard Morris, 52, British Diplomat, Farnham, Hampshire, 6 May 2020

[inmyhumbleopinion]

11 May 2020
“A police search is under way for a missing British diplomat and former ambassador.

Richard Morris, 52, was last seen by his family when he went for a run in Bentley, near Farnham, Hampshire, at about 10:30 BST on Wednesday.

He was ambassador to Nepal from November 2015 to November 2019.

In October, Mr Morris was appointed the new British High Commissioner to the Republic of Fiji and is due to take up his new position in July.

The father of three, who is originally from Worcestershire, is described as white, about 6ft tall, with greying hair and a beard, and has a port wine birth mark on his face, Hampshire Constabulary said.

He was last seen wearing a blue long-sleeved top with a half zip, black shorts and blue trainers.

‘We are now asking residents in the surrounding areas if they could assist by checking sheds, outbuildings and gardens,’ the force said.
[SBM]” (BBM)

More at the link:
Richard Morris: Search for missing British diplomat

By Chantalle Edmunds For Mailonline
12:36 11 May 2020, updated 17:15 11 May 2020
“A major search is underway for a British diplomat from Hampshire who's been missing from home for more than five days after going for a run.

Richard Morris, 52, who has held a number of high profile positions in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), left his £800,000 home in Bentley, Hampshire at 10.30am last Wednesday.

A FCO spokesperson told MailOnline that they are extremely worried and hope he will be found safe and well soon.

Mr Morris is between roles and due to take on a new position as British High Commissioner to the Republic of Fiji in July 2020.

Before that, the married father-of-three was the UK Ambassador to Nepal between 2015 and 2019.

He has worked in the FCO over a near 30-year period carving out an illustrious career.

During his time in Nepal, Mr Morris was pictured alongside Prince Harry in March 2016.

Mr Morris has been deemed 'high risk' by the police because of his Government role, and the police have reportedly been assisted in their search by Hampshire Search and Rescue, dog search and rescue teams, air support, the UK Missing Persons Unit and other agencies, as reported by the Haslemere Herald.

[SBM]

He has spoken publicly about being born with a port-wine birth mark.

'I have a memorable face,' he told The Telegraph during his posting in Nepal. 'When I'm among lots of ambassadors, the Brit is the one people remember because of the way I look.'

Mr Morris is also a high profile supporter of Changing Faces, a charity that campaigns to break down stigma surrounding visible differences.

A FCO spokesperson told MailOnline:
'Richard is a much valued and well liked colleague. We are extremely worried that he is missing and we all hope he will be found safe and well soon.'“

More at the link:
Police launch hunt for missing British diplomat, 52, who vanished after going for a run | Daily Mail Online

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Richard’s Twitter profile:
Richard Morris (@Richard_Nepal) | Twitter

 

[Ironside]

I recall I saw a documentary about Changing Faces years ago, it’s a wonderful organisation.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Martin Brunt
Crime correspondent @skymartinbrunt
Tuesday 12 May 2020 18:21, UK
“Specialist police officers have been searching a dense forest where missing diplomat Richard Morris was a regular jogger.

[SBM]

After a briefing beside the visitors' centre at Alice Holt forest, a team of a dozen searchers combed through waist-high bracken beneath towering silver birch and conifer trees.

Moving slowly in a line - and warned by their adviser PC Richard Webb to beware of adders - they prodded the ground with sticks and searched ditches where Mr Morris might have fallen injured.

Dog teams, a marine unit, a helicopter and horses are also being used to search the forest which is part of the South Downs national park near Farnham.

[SBM]

Fellow runners were asked to check his profile on the running app Strava in the hunt for clues to his movements when he disappeared last Wednesday.

The diplomat was living with his wife and family nearby in Bentley, a pretty village that once featured in a popular TV documentary series The Village.

[SBM]

Hampshire Police and the county's search and rescue volunteers have been searching every day since Mr Morris vanished.

[SBM]

It is still a missing person investigation and police said there was no indication of any crime.

A police spokesperson said: ‘We would also love to hear from any residents or businesses with CCTV that could help our inquiries.

‘The 52-year-old went missing from the Bentley area at 10.30am on 6 May.

[SBM]” (BBM)

More at the link:
Richard Morris: Specialist police officers search dense forest for missing diplomat

 

[bancam]

...Sky News: “It is still a missing person investigation and police said there was no indication of any crime...

IMO this is most likely an unfortunate accident rather than an abduction (neither Nepal or Fiji are considered hotbeds of international diplomatic intrigue).

Nevertheless, MI5 will surely be crawling all over this at present with low key overwatch from MI6, given his imminent overseas posting. We can expect lots of media coverage whatever the outcome - 6 days is getting a bit long for a simple explanation like a sprained ankle. If it is something more sinister then just don’t expect the mainstream media coverage to do it justice - these things are (in my opinion) usually dealt with right out of the public eye.

 

[StillDiggin]

Lots of media on this story. There seams to be a lot of recent interest in Alice Holt forest, which is less than 1.5 sq km in size. Wonder if the dogs have picked up a scent. Like u Bamcam i see no reason of richards ambassador role why someone would want to do harm. If he did fall, health accident when jogging the area he went on his jog is not that big, he should be found by now. A very mysterious disappearance.Richard Morris: Specialist police officers search dense forest for missing diplomat

 

[jslk]

Richard Morris: Missing British diplomat search continues

Nothing new at the link, but the search continues. It does seem to be a weird case. The simplest explanation is a medical emergency, no? I've not seen anything on whether he had his phone or anything else with gps on him? (Garmin?)

 

[jslk]

Do we know he got as far as the forest?

 

[bancam]

...I've not seen anything on whether he had his phone or anything else with gps on him? (Garmin?)

One of the Sky News articles linked above states:

Fellow runners were asked to check his profile on the running app Strava in the hunt for clues to his movements when he disappeared last Wednesday.​

Strava is a fitness and activity tracker which he presumably had installed on the mobile device he was running with.

As every day goes by with no sign of him, a medical emergency is looking less likely now. IMO, as this was his neighbourhood and his regular exercise activity, he would’ve run a usual route (or small number of alternatives) and is unlikely to have ventured off the beaten track. These routes will all now have been identified and extensively searched - this is a big hunt they’ve got going.

From what we’ve been told (and the timing) he really doesn’t fit the ordinary profile of someone with psychological issues or who would be intentionally staging a disappearance. He’s also extremely recognisable due to his facial birthmark. I guess the British intelligence services will be getting a bit itchy right about now!

 

[jslk]

One of the Sky News articles linked above states:

Fellow runners were asked to check his profile on the running app Strava in the hunt for clues to his movements when he disappeared last Wednesday.​

Strava is a fitness and activity tracker which he presumably had installed on the mobile device he was running with.

As every day goes by with no sign of him, a medical emergency is looking less likely now. IMO, as this was his neighbourhood and his regular exercise activity, he would’ve run a usual route (or small number of alternatives) and is unlikely to have ventured off the beaten track. These routes will all now have been identified and extensively searched - this is a big hunt they’ve got going.

From what we’ve been told (and the timing) he really doesn’t fit the ordinary profile of someone with psychological issues or who would be intentionally staging a disappearance. He’s also extremely recognisable due to his facial birthmark. I guess the British intelligence services will be getting a bit itchy right about now!

Yes that is worrying, as to how he can be missing in such a small area. I do know there is a smallish river to cross there and also some ponds in the vicinity?

I think what I meant with regards to gps, can't the police access that to give a more specific location? Or his phone, if he had that? Some runners use the Strava app on their phone exclusively but more serious runners often have a smart watch like a Garmin that links to Strava directly using gps.

 

[bancam]

We’ve seemingly entered the government information blackout phase of this case already.

This would normally be a leading news story in the UK with daily updates, surely? A seemingly healthy, well adjusted longtime member of the foreign office has vanished without a trace on home soil right before his next diplomatic posting.

But not a peep from the press for coming up 3 days now!

 

[Steelslady]

We’ve seemingly entered the government information blackout phase of this case already.

This would normally be a leading news story in the UK with daily updates, surely? A seemingly healthy, well adjusted longtime member of the foreign office has vanished without a trace on home soil right before his next diplomatic posting.

But not a peep from the press for coming up 3 days now!

Are they sure that is where he allegedly went jogging?

 

[trendsetter]

Perhaps the police have already addressed this, but two questions occur to me: Is it certain that he left home? Is it certain that he didn't return home?
The first question would be answered in the affirmative if there were witnesses to him running at the appropriate time; I haven't seen any reference to such witnesses - were there any? It would be odd if there was none.

 

[bancam]

Typically, there is a lack of clear information.

Missing Richard Morris: Residents asked to check outbuildings and sheds | Hampshire Constabulary

The 52-year-old went missing from the Bentley area at 10.30am on 6 May.

It is believed that Richard, who is described as being white with graying hair and a beard and a distinctive birth mark on his face, was running in the local area when he went missing.​

Hampshire police aren’t now actually stating he did or did not reach the forest, merely that it was a run in the local area from what I can gather.

His family apparently saw him leave home in his running gear at 10:30am.

No info on how he normally got to the forest, whether the act of getting there was considered his “run” or whether there was a more established/organised route at Alice Holt that he would’ve been heading there for. You’d expect witnesses either way - it’s mid morning on a Weds in a village where he’s presumably known and regularly seen around.

Surely police could provide an indication or maps of his usual/logical route. I’ve had a look at Google (attached pics) and the most direct route would be 56mins walk, 17 mins cycle, 8 mins car so for him that would be a <25min casual jog (going past the train station incidentally).

But did he cut through the bird park instead? Or take another route at the top end? Really it is impossible to do anything but wildly speculate without local knowledge of that park/forest and the various routes through it, and more specific info from police on whether he was actually seen reaching the forest area or seen anywhere else beyond his front/back door at home.

So vague.

 

[trendsetter]

It looks like he must have been on a public road for some time in the mid morning; surely someone must have seen him if he was there. If he wasn't seen on the road then maybe he was given a lift in a vehicle by someone he knew. But this seems highly unlikely as the UK was in lockdown then.

So, when and where exactly was he 'last seen' - was it really by his family as he left home at 10.30 or later somewhere else? (How reliable is the claim that his family visually witnessed him leaving? - bancam's post is the only place that I've read this - I haven't seen it reported anywhere else.)

Could he have been a victim of a hit and run accident? And is his body hidden in the undergrowth by the roadside?

 

[bancam]

...So, when and where exactly was he 'last seen' - was it really by his family as he left home at 10.30 or later somewhere else? (How reliable is the claim that his family visually witnessed him leaving? - bancam's post is the only place that I've read this - I haven't seen it reported anywhere else.)

I said:

His family apparently saw him leave home in his running gear at 10:30am.

The INews source said:
Former ambassador Richard Morris has not been sighted since 6 May when he left home to exercise in the Bentley area in Hampshire. The 52-year-old was last seen by his family at around 10.30am on that Wednesday morning, dressed in a blue long-sleeved top with a half-zip, black shorts and blue trainers.

Draw your own conclusion, but it appeared to me from reading this that his family were most likely at the same home from which he left and saw him doing so at 10:30am. It was, after all, at least partial lockdown at the time and his wife and three kids were presumably all together in the home, up and about mid morning, when he popped out for his daily permitted ration of exercise.

Alternatively, he may have just teleported away

 

[dotr]

From an earlier link (May 12 2020) and the available snippet.. rbbm..
Diplomat's disappearance does not involve 'third party', police believe
''Police believe that there was no one else involved in the mysterious disappearance of a British diplomat near his home in Hampshire, as they searched a 2,000 acre forest and the UK’s largest bird park.

Richard Morris, a married father-of-three who most recently served as Britain’s ambassador to Nepal went out for a run last Wednesday and has not been seen since.

The 52-year-old has been classed as “high risk” by Hampshire Constabulary, who told the Telegraph: “At this time there is nothing to suggest a third party involvement, however we will follow all lines of enquiry that come to light.”

The force said he was not classified in this way because of his job, as fears were raised for his well being....''

 

[dotr]

Richard’s Twitter profile:
Richard Morris (@Richard_Nepal) | Twitter

Looks like RM's next posting was to be in Fiji, wondering if it was delayed or derailed due to the pandemic? speculation, imo.

''Nov 6, 2019
I have now left Nepal. My successor will be
@NicolaPollittUK
. I look forward to taking up my next role as British High Commissioner to Fiji and Head of the Pacific Network in July 2020.''

 

[TatianaBarbie]

2 posts about Richard being missing from the East Hants Police on Facebook:

East Hants Police (1st post, permalink)

"East Hants Police added a new photo to the album: Social Sense Status Photos.
May 6 at 4:25 PM ·
Have you seen missing Richard Morris from Bentley, Farnham?

The 52-year-old man was last seen when he went for a run in the Bentley area at 10.30 this morning.

His family are understandably concerned for his welfare.

We’ve been making enquiries this evening but are now turning to you for your help.

Richard is described as being white, around 6ft tall, with greying hair and a beard. He is also described as having port birth mark on his face.

He was last seen wearing a blue long sleeved top with a half zip, black shorts, and blue trainers.

If you see him, or think you may have seen him since 10.30 this morning please call us on 101, quoting reference 627 of today’s date, or 44200160398."

​

East Hants Police (2nd post, permalink)

"East Hants Police added a new photo to the album: Social Sense Status Photos.
May 11 at 8:59 AM ·
Further to our appeal regarding missing Richard Morris from Bentley, the search for Richard is ongoing.

We are now asking residents in the surrounding areas if they could assist by checking sheds, outbuildings and gardens. We would also love to hear from any residents or businesses with CCTV that could help our enquiries.

The 52-year-old went missing from the Bentley area at 10.30am on 6 May.

It is believed that Richard, who is described as being white with greying hair and a beard and a distinctive birth mark on his face, was running in the local area when he went missing.

He was last seen wearing a blue long sleeved top with a half zip, black shorts, and blue trainers.

We would also very much like to thank the public for their response to this appeal, including volunteers from Hampshire Search and Rescue who have assisted us in our search for Richard.

We would like to reassure people that we have professional search teams conducting a thorough search of local areas and would respectfully ask members of the public not to attempt to look for Richard, outside of your own property, themselves.

This is so teams can accurately monitor all areas that have been police searched to a professional standard and so potential tracking can be conducted by search dogs.

We again appeal for anyone with information and also ask residents to check their outbuildings for any signs that someone might have been sheltering there or for discarded items.

If you can help please get in touch by phoning 101 and quote the reference 44200160398."

​

There have been no further updates from the East Hants Police since May 11th.

​

 

[Linskid]

From an earlier link (May 12 2020) and the available snippet.. rbbm..
Diplomat's disappearance does not involve 'third party', police believe
''Police believe that there was no one else involved in the mysterious disappearance of a British diplomat near his home in Hampshire, as they searched a 2,000 acre forest and the UK’s largest bird park.

Richard Morris, a married father-of-three who most recently served as Britain’s ambassador to Nepal went out for a run last Wednesday and has not been seen since.

The 52-year-old has been classed as “high risk” by Hampshire Constabulary, who told the Telegraph: “At this time there is nothing to suggest a third party involvement, however we will follow all lines of enquiry that come to light.”

The force said he was not classified in this way because of his job, as fears were raised for his well being....''

Regarding the bolded part, what causes him to be classified as “high risk” if it’s not his job?