Found Deceased UK - Sally Allan, 59, Ponteland, Northumberland, 26 December 2015

[Missoni]

Was just reading about another story involving the same river. Young lad (18) from the area apparently was seen falling from a bridge over the River Tyne. He was found quite a way from where it's suggested he fell.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/body-found-river-tyne-formally-10152171

<snipped from the article> "A body pulled from the River Tyne on Friday has been formally identified as missing Gateshead teenager Robbie Oversby.
The 18-year-old vanished on Thursday, September 17 and was spotted on CCTV walking across the Redheugh Bridge the same day."

 

[Ad2817]

I remember the case of Robbie. There was another lad that went missing along the Tyne last year and his body wasn't found until approx a month later. I hope Sally's family get closure sooner rather than later.

 

[Plumeria5]

Quoting Colour Purple:

As I've posted before I wondered if Sally had had some kind of episode similar to those that Alzheimer's/dementia sufferers can have. Found this interesting info:


Furthermore, the visual field (peripheral vision) is narrowed, creating &#8220;tunnel vision.&#8221; A reduction in peripheral vision results in poor navigators using only what they see in front of them versus excellent navigators who combine active scanning for landmarks they remember. This may account for dementia wanderers&#8217; trademark behavior of essentially moving straight ahead: &#8220;They go until they get stuck.&#8221; Direction of travel predicts a dementia subject&#8217;s final location better than it does in most other subject categories.
Mild to moderate severity is associated with more goal-directed wandering. Initially, the subject does in fact have a destination in mind. Distances traveled may be greater
In a short conversation with the subject one may not detect anything unusual. Dementia subjects are usually recognized by the public due to inappropriate dress, unsafe or inappropriate behavior, asking for assistance, or an inappropriate response.
In an urban environment, the subject is typically found in structures or walking along roads. In both urban and wilderness environments, the subject is highly likely to cross or depart from a road (66%).If the subject leaves the road or travel feature, he does not travel far.
Subjects are also attracted to water features and will walk into water (perhaps without even realizing it is water)

Hallmark behaviors:
* They go until they get &#8220;stuck.&#8221;
* Appear to lack the ability to turn around and may ping-pong off some barriers.
* Direction of travel is a good predictor of where they are found.
* Oriented to the past. The more severe the dementia, the further in the past they exist. Figure out where in the past the subject is currently &#8220;living&#8221; in order to determine possible destinations (e.g., a former residence, a work place). Investigative questions assist to better understand the subject&#8217;s past (which, for them,
may be the present).May attempt to travel to former residence, favorite place or what appears to be former place, or workplace
https://www.dbs-sar.com/LPB/Dementia.pdf


My question is, if Sally was in the middle of some kind of similar episode... is there something at the point that Sally was last seen on CCTV that would have stopped her from carrying on straight ahead in the same direction she had been heading? Bollards? Something blocking the path? "No Entry" signs?

Of course it could just be that she stopped as she had reached her destination. Also is there easier access to the water at the point she was last seen, gaps in barriers etc? Or anywhere that could make it easier for her to have walked or fell into the water, or if she wasn't recognising it as water ... anywhere where the river looked more like an expanse of land that she could walk across?



Me, Plumeria, writing now...(I didn't know how to quote the quotes but they are very interesting, especially the Hallmark behaviors.) Something must have been askew because she would surely have not gone for that long of a walk in her pjs. Maybe her goal was to wear herself out so she would drown more easily or it was a mental episode of dementia or medical condition. Whatever the case, if she is in the water, it was a lonely cold death. The fact that she stopped to pet a dog, if true, is very sad. Dogs are always there for us and bring us comfort at the worst of times. Poor Sally.

 

[Alyce]

According to the police update yesterday posted on the Search4Sally FB group 'Footage shows Sally walking alongside the river Tyne underneath the swing bridge on quayside at around 6.15am boxing day. She was seen making her way along the riverside toward the rear of the guildhall. There is no CCTV of her leaving that area'.

So i took from this that she went into water near guild hall. I think if they knew she had climbed the swing bridge they would have stated that last footage was on the swing bridge. The police were also doing fingertip sweeps of the bridge and nothing has been reported to say there was evidence she was there.

The elapsed time between the Copthorne CCTV (which has been made public) and this CCTV is approx 17 mins. The walk from Copthorne to guildhall is only 5 mins max. I wonder if Sally stopped to contemplate things?

I know it was boxing day morning but I am still at a loss as to why not one person noticed someone in their PJ's around the river. I have been at quayside area early morning before and there is always a handful of people at least.

Welcome to the group :wagon: and very good to have inside knowledge.

Re the PJs. I wonder if it would have been obvious that Sally was wearing PJs. From the cctv footage it is hard to tell what they look like exactly.

But, as we have been told that Sally was wearing a fleece and jacket plus walking boots ( or trainers ? ) , then it might not be obvious that her trousers were PJs. Someone passing her might have just thought , from a casual glance, that they were jogging trousers.

 

[Alyce]

Hi all,

Sorry for not posting over the last couple of days, I've not been to good.

I still have trouble understanding why at the Quayside Sally decided to end her life, if that is indeed what has happened. I still can't get my head around why walk so far when the rivers were so swollen.

I keep asking myself could it be that she took a different direction? As an avid walker and probably walked that route time and time again could she be aware of where CCTV cameras were located?

I have been out today for a drive around Newburn, Wylam and back home. I think until we know for sure I don't want to accept the obvious to so many.

There is many parts of the river path between Ovingham and Wylam that are awash with rubbish after the flooding and so much cream coloured rubble.

I still have the screen shots on my phone from one of the first posts on FB when sally went missing. From the lady who claims Sallys son claimed he was worried she was going to do something very sad.

There was another lady who went missing Boxing Day called Tracey Allan I believe. She has been found and is in hospital thankfully.

Hope you're feeling better now.

My thought - if Sally's intention was suicide - was that she wanted to have one last good walk, before she departed.
Or perhaps, she was not completely decided as to what she might do and thought the walk would help her to clarify things, one way or the other.
Hence the reason she walked 11 miles.

 

[Cherwell]

Re the PJs. I wonder if it would have been obvious that Sally was wearing PJs. From the cctv footage it is hard to tell what they look like exactly.

But, as we have been told that Sally was wearing a fleece and jacket plus walking boots ( or trainers ? ) , then it might not be obvious that her trousers were PJs. Someone passing her might have just thought , from a casual glance, that they were jogging trousers.

No, I don't think it would have been obvious at all. Nowadays pyjamas often double up as leisurewear, rather than being something that people only wear in bed.

 

[frisson]

No, I don't think it would have been obvious at all. Nowadays pyjamas often double up as leisurewear, rather than being something that people only wear in bed.

I agree Im stunned that I see so many folks, usually women, wearing what look like PJs out in stores etc. It is usually in the fall and winter. Anyway, they look like PJs to me.

 

[bluesneakers]

Normally the fall would knock you out or be to injured to swim, then you'd drown. The cold water could of got to her before she could swim out of it..

Jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge is the equivalent of being hit by a train - it's 67m/220' high and jumpers hit the water at 75mph. If they aren't killed by the fall it's just like you said - you're incapable of swimming well enough to save yourself. Though some do.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

If any of you want a really heartwarming but tragic rollercoaster of a read, with a story that very much mirrors this one, take half an hour to have a look at Susan McLean's thread. She was an American holidaymaker who went missing in Scotland last year and posters here included a local searcher with a very good reason to search, Susan's best friend who flew from America to help, and Susan's husband, along with a couple of her other friends from the USA.

The bombshell half way through blew all our minds, and while it wasn't the ending we'd hope for it really brought the Websleuths community together. Highly recommend (this is not an Amazon review!)

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ean-61-Aberfeldy-17-May-2015-American-visitor

 

[Cherwell]

I agree Im stunned that I see so many folks, usually women, wearing what look like PJs out in stores etc. It is usually in the fall and winter. Anyway, they look like PJs to me.

What I really meant is that when I was a child, pyjamas were quite specifically nightwear, and were usually quite flimsy. If you wore pyjamas out of bed, after a bath for instance, you would wear a robe or dressing gown as well.

These days PJs are more robust and can be comfortably worn around the house or outside if not too cold. As Alyce says, they are not really much different from sportswear.

Also, old style pyjamas used to match top and bottom, but this seems uncommon now.

 

[Missoni]

If any of you want a really heartwarming but tragic rollercoaster of a read, with a story that very much mirrors this one, take half an hour to have a look at Susan McLean's thread. She was an American holidaymaker who went missing in Scotland last year and posters here included a local searcher with a very good reason to search, Susan's best friend who flew from America to help, and Susan's husband, along with a couple of her other friends from the USA.

The bombshell half way through blew all our minds, and while it wasn't the ending we'd hope for it really brought the Websleuths community together. Highly recommend (this is not an Amazon review!)

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ean-61-Aberfeldy-17-May-2015-American-visitor

Just spent the last three hours reading that thread. I couldn't stop reading it! You're right, what a rollercoaster of emotions that was.

One thing it did for me, was restored my faith in humanity... what amazing people we have amongst us here. <3

 

[ColourPurple]

Sally's family have set up a just giving page to raise funds for mental health charity MIND. They say it's possible she may have been trying to battle mental health issues on her own, that they didn't know about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Boxing Day morning, our mum, wife and granny left the family home at 3am in the morning and never returned. We do not know why and we do not know how she came to do this. What we do know is that it was not our normal Sally that did this.

Sally was a loving, caring and bubbly person who lit up people's lives and always kept the conversation flowing. She loved her family and it was at the centre of her world.

We are finding it hard to process and understand what has occurred. It is possible that she has been masking and battling mental health issues on her own, without help for some time. As a family we knew that she was sometimes a worrier, we knew that she sometimes had low self esteem and we knew that she sometimes struggled to adapt to all the new technology in today's rapidly changing world. However none of these things on their own or together should have led her to do what she has done. She was just a special but ordinary wife, mum and granny facing the challenges of life like everyone else.

We hope that the continued promotion and understanding of mental health issues will increase people's awareness and help them to recognise when their loved ones need help and support.

To help us do that we ask that you give what you can to the national mental health charity MIND.

What has happened to Sally has touched so many people. The community have rallied around and supported the whole of our family. We feel that Sally would want us to continue helping those that need it, so please give what you can in memory of a special but ordinary wife, mum and granny.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

https://www.justgiving.com/Sally-Allan1956

There is also a post from the family on the Search 4 Sally Facebook page confirming that the place she was last seen was a place she had walked to with her husband before Xmas on their last walk together.

 

[Coquette]

From Claire Allen and posted on the Search 4 Sally FB Page:

This morning, the family visited the Newcastle Quayside area by the Swing Bridge next to the river Tyne. It is the place that Sally was last seen on CCTV and the place where she finished her last walk with Gordon, her husband, before Christmas. We threw roses in the river and shared a tender moment of reflection about what she meant to us. Sally was a loving caring wife and mother who lit up the lives of everyone who knew her and we will always remember her.
Whilst we were on the Quayside we met and spoke with officers from the Police Marine and Diving unit. They outlined the detailed searches they will be doing over the coming days and spoke of their determination to bring our Sally home so we can say a proper goodbye.
This Facebook group was set up to "Search 4 Sally" and it has demonstrated the power of social media to do this, achieving national media coverage. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people freely gave up their Christmas time with friends and family to search for her and for this we will always be eternally grateful. The community spirit shown to us was tremendous. In addition the messages of love and support have touched our hearts and given us the strength to keep going during the most difficult of times.
Given the group was set up to "Search 4 Sally" and given we have now accepted that she has almost certainly gone into the river Tyne we feel the time is now right to close down the posting of new messages to the site. Speculation and criticism of others does not help anyone however well intentioned. Another important factor is that with friends returning to work we do not have the resource to administer the site and we must allow ourselves the time and space to grieve and rebuild our strength. The Group will continue to operate but only as a way for us to keep you updated on any major developments in the "Search 4 Sally".
We would however like to use the exposure "Search 4 Sally" has achieved to raise money to help improve awareness of mental health. We have chosen the national charity MIND; if Sally had accessed services such as these perhaps she would still be with us today. Should you wish to donate then please follow the link below:
https://www.justgiving.com/Sally-Allan1956
Finally, we hope the most positive outcome to have come from this tragic situation is that you and others have thought more about how to love and care for your own loved ones. In this modern busy world it is only too easy to forget those that matter to us most.

 

[Coquette]

The family are indeed speaking about Sally in the past tense and referring to her no longer being alive. I suspect the police found video footage of Sally jumping into the river or a witness came forward who witnessed it. The family is very clear that Sally took her own life. To think that she was very well suffering with mental illness on her own without any help or support. It's just so damn sad...

 

[Treelights]

The family are indeed speaking about Sally in the past tense and referring to her no longer being alive. I suspect the police found video footage of Sally jumping into the river or a witness came forward who witnessed it. The family is very clear that Sally took her own life. To think that she was very well suffering with mental illness on her own without any help or support. It's just so damn sad...

Thank You. That makes more sense that perhaps there is video of Sally jumping into the river and they haven't found her yet.
That is quite sad!!!
IMOO.

 

[blefuscu]

The swing bridge in Newcastle is a fairly low bridge and the video seems to show she passed it. The Tyne Bridge on the other hand is much higher and those who jump from there usually do not survive. It's very possible that she climbed over the railings on the Quayside and just slipped herself into the river. The cold from the water would have sent her body into shock very quickly.

We have had loads and loads of rain since Boxing Day and it's been windy too. But the divers are trained to know the currents and flow patterns of the river and it's not unusual for jumpers from the Tyne Bridge to not be found immediately because of it being tidal.

There is a CCTV camera near the Tyne Bridge but it is on the Gateshead side rather than the Newcastle side http://www.tyneandweartravel.info/public/cctv/list.htm

This piece in the local newspaper highlights how the police often rely on private CCTV and specifically mentions the Quayside in it. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastle-city-centre-attack-victim-8776529

I think most of us from the area are resigned to the fact that Sally is in the river and unless a business has footage of her either making her way up to the Tyne Bridge or climbing over the railings on the Quayside we may never know how she ended up in the water.

 

[ColourPurple]

The swing bridge in Newcastle is a fairly low bridge and the video seems to show she passed it. The Tyne Bridge on the other hand is much higher and those who jump from there usually do not survive. It's very possible that she climbed over the railings on the Quayside and just slipped herself into the river. The cold from the water would have sent her body into shock very quickly.

It's funny you should say that as I saw the picture of where the family had laid flowers by the river and there was what looked like a ladder into the river with arched handles above the surface like a swimming pool ladder.It made me wonder if Sally got into the river via the "ladder", either deliberately or in error, in a confused state of mind thinking it was an actual swimming pool. I won't post the pic from the Search 4 Sally facebook page but you can see one of the "ladders" in this pic from google maps

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...0x487e70b9e2d90617:0xb656a30594021532!6m1!1e1

 

[Ad2817]

I think even if she did jump into the river at the place the flowers were laid it wouldn't be enough to kill or majorly injur her. I think like mentioned above she went in peacefully rather than jumped from one of the bridges. If it is where her and her husband often walked then it's possible she already had a plan in her head to go there to end her life.

 

[alreetlike]

Very moving words from the family. It must be a difficult decision to accept the explanation and try to move on before she has been found. I do find it quite telling that she was at the same place on a recent walk with her husband.

It's a very unfortunate reminder that mental health issues can bubble under the surface without being seen even by the people closest.

 

[Elainera]

The family are indeed speaking about Sally in the past tense and referring to her no longer being alive. I suspect the police found video footage of Sally jumping into the river or a witness came forward who witnessed it. The family is very clear that Sally took her own life. To think that she was very well suffering with mental illness on her own without any help or support. It's just so damn sad...

bbm - or maybe they found a note? I'm thinking a lovely lady like her wouldn't want to leave her loved ones wondering, and without a final Good Bye. Maybe they didn't find a note at first but now they have.