Found Deceased UK - Richard Okorogheye, 19, Oxford Student, Ladbroke Grove, West London, 24 Mar 2021

[sleuthheywood7]

The thing I noticed in this statement was the police saying, "we are not here to cast judgement", almost as if something is known about circumstances surrounding this disappearance which we are not aware of ? Or maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Yep - that stood out to me too. Is that a standard thing to say by the police? It does seem specific but maybe it’s due to them potentially having no significant leads so far? JMO

 

[mrazda71]

A person can be intelligent AND naive.

Are you suggesting by "colouring " interviews that his mother is not being truthful?

Richard is our victim here, its not a question of "buying into" anything. He is missing and considered vulnerable. These are facts.

BBM - absolutely! There's a current tiktok trend on exactly that theme - one girl got 12A* and offers to study medicine at 3 top universities but thought you also couldn't walk the opposite way up a one way street and would walk 30 mins home instead of 5 each day!

19 isn't an exact science either - I've known 19 year olds who have a mortgage and others who can't make drs appointments - neither are good or bad in my opinion, just different.

What I know personally of families like Richards though is that is often a lot of pressure on the children to be successful, you get a good education and work hard but also with the sickle cell - parents who have perhaps doted on and been overprotective of their only child ... maybe a little controlling, which leads to a child being more secretive.

 

[annpats]

The thing I noticed in this statement was the police saying, "we are not here to cast judgement..."

Yes, that's a bit weird. No-one even mentioned judgment except them. First time I've heard it said.
Freudian slip?

 

[sleuthheywood7]

Yes, that a bit weird. No-one even mentioned judgement except them. First time I've heard it said.
Freudian slip?

Unless they think he may have been led into/involved in something illegal? Or they think he was trying to hide something from his parents/friends for worry of judgement? Total conjecture - just trying to understand why they would use that wording. It could just be the way they’ve chosen to phrase it but I would be surprised if the police don’t make sure things are worded very specifically when making a statement like that. JMO

 

[Bogyo13]

I don't think he wanted to commit suicide. It's too far imo with several changes (bus, taxi).
I think he was supposed to meet someone after getting off bus then plan changed perhaps. Also there's a time gap, perhaps he did go to someone's house but then left by taxi.
But I hope I'm wrong and he's still with someone safe although too much time passed for that imo.
All speculation and MOO.

 

[Commoner]

About friends - he was at an awkward stage.

School friends will have headed off in all sorts of different directions.

University friends will barely have been made because freshers had such as awful time of it during the pandemic - in isolation perhaps? Not meeting up for live lectures and F2F seminars etc and many clubs barely running (except outdoors sports).

It's reasonable likely IMO that he was sort of between friends, compounded for him because he needed to shield.

So online friends, who he may not have ever met in real life, will have become extra important. And if they're not RL friends (or friend of friends) then it can get very dodgy very quickly.

JMO

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Yes, that's a bit weird. No-one even mentioned judgment except them. First time I've heard it said.
Freudian slip?

The police dont make freudian slips in prepared statements. The wording will have been very carefully crafted.

JMO

 

[sleuthheywood7]

About friends - he was at an awkward stage.

School friends will have headed off in all sorts of different directions.

University friends will barely have been made because freshers had such as awful time of it during the pandemic - in isolation perhaps? Not meeting up for live lectures and F2F seminars etc and many clubs barely running (except outdoors sports).

It's reasonable likely IMO that he was sort of between friends, compounded for him because he needed to shield.

So online friends, who he may not have ever met in real life, will have become extra important. And if they're not RL friends (or friend of friends) then it can get very dodgy very quickly.

JMO

Yep I agree with this. Leaving school, as you say, is a weird time for friendship groups/friends. Having done university online for over a year it also doesn't give much scope for properly meeting anyone other than on zoom in seminars - especially as his uni is out of London and people probably come from all over the country. JMO.

 

[annpats]

I go back and forth several times a day regarding my thoughts on what's happened to Richard. At first I thought definitely suicide, but the police haven't found anything, not a clue or trace after 4 days of combing through the forest. And I think they would have found something by now, as I doubt he would have got so far into it in the pitch black darkness that the police wouldn't have found his body by now.

So, then I suspected a planned meeting gone wrong. But Richard be naive enough to meet someone at gone midnight near Epping Forest? He spent plenty of money and time to get there, so must be important to him.
But the police have found no clues on his phone or laptops, which is also concerning.
Does this point to evidence if a burner phone, as it's been seen on CCTV he was looking down at a phone after it was known his regular phone was turned off.
A burner phone points to evidence of trying to hide something, and then that makes me wonder if it is a county lines drug thing.
If it was meeting someone for gaming, woukd he not take his own controller and some of his own equipment? That bag he's got is tiny, you can't fit much besides a phone in that.
And again, gaming in Epping Forest?
I know there are a few houses on the road leading from the pub where he was dropped off, but I'm sure they've been questioned and it's not one of them he was going to.

So, at this point, I strongly suspect it was a meeting of some sorts. He's been picked up by a car, potentially, I think and driven off. CCTV will hopefully provide clues, and a resukt, just as it did in the Sarah Everard case.

 

[Hills88]

Forgive the slight off topic comment but I just wanted to say hello from one parent of a Stroke survivor to another! My daughter had an ischaemic stroke at 13, no definitive cause found but doing my own research means that I have at least heard of DBA.

Hugs to you both xx

Thank you mrazda. I hope your daughter is doing well considering. My daughter has her ups and downs. She has cerebral palsy from the stroke and with DBA, we spend alot of time in hospital.

I have been following this case closely hoping Richard is found before his next transfusion as he will become unwell very fast.

 

[sleuthheywood7]

I go back and forth several times a day regarding my thoughts on what's happened to Richard. At first I thought definitely suicide, but the police haven't found anything, not a clue or trace after 4 days of combing through the forest. And I think they would have found something by now, as I doubt he would have got so far into it in the pitch black darkness that the police wouldn't have found his body by now.

So, then I suspected a planned meeting gone wrong. But Richard be naive enough to meet someone at gone midnight near Epping Forest? He spent plenty of money and time to get there, so must be important to him.
But the police have found no clues on his phone or laptops, which is also concerning.
Does this point to evidence if a burner phone, as it's been seen on CCTV he was looking down at a phone after it was known his regular phone was turned off.
A burner phone points to evidence of trying to hide something, and then that makes me wonder if it is a county lines drug thing.
If it was meeting someone for gaming, woukd he not take his own controller and some of his own equipment? That bag he's got is tiny, you can't fit much besides a phone in that.
And again, gaming in Epping Forest?
I know there are a few houses on the road leading from the pub where he was dropped off, but I'm sure they've been questioned and it's not one of them he was going to.

So, at this point, I strongly suspect it was a meeting of some sorts. He's been picked up by a car, potentially, I think and driven off. CCTV will hopefully provide clues, and a resukt, just as it did in the Sarah Everard case.

Yep. I presume if there's a chance he's been picked up by a car, either in the forest or at one of its exits I guess they will be looking at CCTV on the main roads around the forest. If they think he got in a car around the time he was seen arriving in Essex I guess this narrows the window down - and I can't imagine there would have been many cars around at that time given that it was at night, on a Monday and in lockdown. Even around central London the roads (even the main ones) seem to be much quieter than usual at night, both with pedestrians and cars. JMO

 

[KensingtonandChelsea]

When I was 17, I asked my parents to put a lock on my door. I was living with them and my older brother so no little kids who I was trying to protect my room from, I just liked the idea of privacy. I liked being able to lock the door and sit inside and enjoy my alone time without anyone barging in, like my mum who just wouldn't knock. So that may be a reason why he has a lock on his door, if it wasn't there before from the house having been used as flats/rented rooms.

The fact that the police and his mother have said he's not in any trouble, I feel is because he's 19, he may feel guilty or ashamed that he's caused so much furore and they want him to feel reassured that no one is going to blame him for anything, they just want him to come back home safely. It may also be something deeper, for example they may have reason to believe he's involved in illegal activities but I doubt it.

 

[sleuthheywood7]

When I was 17, I asked my parents to put a lock on my door. I was living with them and my older brother so no little kids who I was trying to protect my room from, I just liked the idea of privacy. I liked being able to lock the door and sit inside and enjoy my alone time without anyone barging in, like my mum who just wouldn't knock. So that may be a reason why he has a lock on his door, if it wasn't there before from the house having been used as flats/rented rooms.

The fact that the police and his mother have said he's not in any trouble, I feel is because he's 19, he may feel guilty or ashamed that he's caused so much furore and they want him to feel reassured that no one is going to blame him for anything, they just want him to come back home safely. It may also be something deeper, for example they may have reason to believe he's involved in illegal activities but I doubt it.

Yep I agree re the lock. My brother is the same age as Richard and similarly lives with my mum, there are just the two of them in the house. He has a lock on his door (all the doors do to the bedrooms) and he often locks his door especially at night. Their relationship is good and they get on well - my brother just likes having some privacy and the lock means someone has to knock. It definitely annoys my mother sometimes especially if he sleeps late but she respects the fact he wants his privacy - at 19 you are technically an adult so I think lots of parents would feel it inappropriate to request that their child didn't lock the door/had the lock taken off. Basically what I'm trying to get across is here is that I don't think its abnormal for a teenager to have a lock on their door and use it, and I also don't think it reflects on his relationship with his mother really. Most teenagers have things that they hide in someway from their parents, whether that be relationships, minor drug use (such as weed) or even just staying up late and being online/playing video games etc. JMO of course.

 

[infinit]

It's one thing having a bolt on the inside of your door to allow privacy when inside - Having an actual lock to lock it when you're not inside I personally find a bit more unusual.

 

[nozomu]

I think it’s also worth mentioning that as a young black man he may also not trust the police that much so could be worried about getting in trouble even from just wasting police time. It really wouldn’t be unusual in London as a black teenager or man if he had been stopped and searched in his life.

This would obviously been even more of a worry if he’d been involved in something which there really is no evidence to suggest. Obviously this is speculation as we have no idea how he feels about the police.

In Richard’s situation I just feel for him. Being that age when you just want to be a teenager, having to shield and also having a mum working as a nurse throughout these times and possibly risking her own life. It’s a lot for one young man or anyone to take on. I’ve been so moved by his mother’s appearances and I really hope he comes home to be with her again.

 

[Jenesaisquoi]

Maybe it’s not so much him that is hiding, as the person he is with being in a complicated situation themself. Best thing to do is to come forward now so police can be discreet.

 

[JuicyLucy]

From my knowledge of my brother’s activity on social media (he is the same age as Richard and lives in the UK) - FB isn’t really something that him or his friends seem to use - he says he has an account but no one really uses it. None of his friends that he knows of use Twitter (I asked him this morning) - he said they use Snapchat mainly and Instagram. Obviously JMO but with this in mind it doesn’t seem too abnormal to me that he doesn’t have fb/Twitter - I saw somewhere he had Snapchat I think?

I agree. Most teenagers see Twitter and especially Facebook as middle aged and a bit naff. But the other thing is that the ones who are very into IT are extremely savvy about internet security and privacy and dislike SM for its data mining capacity. I would not be surprised at all to find Richard used a VPN service to keep his web browsing private, something like Proton for email and Signal or Telegram for messaging. I notice the police mentioned taking multiple computers from home and I bet he's keeping their forensic computing analysts extremely busy! It's just a tragedy his efforts may be working against his best interests at this point.

jmo

 

[sleuthheywood7]

I agree. Most teenagers see Twitter and especially Facebook as middle aged and a bit naff. But the other thing is that the ones who are very into IT are extremely savvy about internet security and privacy and dislike SM for its data mining capacity. I would not be surprised at all to find Richard used a VPN service to keep his web browsing private, something like Proton for email and Signal or Telegram for messaging. I notice the police mentioned taking multiple computers from home and I bet he's keeping their forensic computing analysts extremely busy! It's just a tragedy his efforts may be working against his best interests at this point.

jmo

Yep! Also from the MSM reports he studies IT at university - so that makes it even more likely that he is very tech savvy and does use encrypted methods of messaging/browsing online. JMO

 

[sleuthheywood7]

I don't know how this is relevant but most universities finished for easter this week - the break is usually a month. I looked on the Oxford Brookes website and their term finished on March 26th, so not too long after he disappeared. Again I don't know how this is relevant but thought worth mentioning. MOO

 

[TheTruthWillOut]

The police dont make freudian slips in prepared statements. The wording will have been very carefully crafted.

JMO

Rather interesting then that the BBC article relaying this police statement omits that specific part. Richard Okorogheye: Police appeal to missing student to 'get in touch'

I'm now leaning toward this being a online relationship escalated to being real world but needing it to be/wanting it to be secret. The Epping Forest visit carefully planned to evade tracking/CCTV etc. Not sure where we (and police) go from here if it is the case?