Found Deceased UK - Samantha Eastwood, 28, Stoke-on-Trent, 27 July 2018 *Arrest*

[jessie]

Re the quarry, he might have been intending to put her in the water. Finding that it had dried up must have been a nasty shock for him, if so.

My thoughts too ~Cherwell.

 

[Florence61]

Looking on google maps Stoke looks heavily built up, and little in the way of forestry to the east. Is the area quite flat, any posters here in that area, I've no knowledge of it?

Possibly the nearby countryside is inaccessible with the exception of the salt quarry for the 4x4 meets?

Just my curiosity, really adds nought to this dreadful crime of course.

I know the area well - where SE lived was on the edge of the Staffordshire Moorlands - it’s extremely rural

 

[leaanne613]

If they have the vehicle in which the body was transported, they might have used a cadaver dog to test it. I don't know how readily available these dogs are, though.

But just to have a cadaver in a vehicle would not be conclusive as to where the crime occurred.

 

[jessie]

I know the area well - where SE lived was on the edge of the Staffordshire Moorlands - it’s extremely rural

Thank you for that Florence. I live near moorland too but here it is barren and open, is that similar?

 

[Yozzer]

This is from The Sun (so treat with caution) 2nd August:
Mystery of 'happy-go-lucky' midwife at centre of 'biggest' police hunt

Cherwell says:
Well, there are several things wrong in that report - keys were not left in the car, and it says nothing was missing from the house when we know her purse was gone. They just guess at what they don't know. Look at the references to a "messy" break-up. I've read nothing elsewhere that suggests the break-up wasn't amicable. It's just a lazy trope that a break-up must be messy.

All I've read in other sources is that a scream was heard. Now if someone heard a scream and knew it was coming from inside Samantha's home, isn't it likely that they would have investigated? I think this is another bit of embellishment.

Elderly neighbour says she last saw Samantha at the house a year ago. That doesn't mean S hadn't been there for a year, just that the neighbour didn't see her. Nor that the Stirlings didn't visit Samantha's home, or meet up in pubs etc. It's only six or seven months since S and JP split up, not a year.

So I think you're right to be cautious - take everything the Sun says with a big pinch of salt.



In fairness, the story was changing rapidly and the emphasis was on the media getting the story out to the public. The purse was only publicised as missing on 3/8 - the Sun article was first published on 2/8. I recall there was an initial link being made with Whitby which was being followed up by N. Yorks. Police; also a sighting at Stoke station was reported yet these theories were later discounted. Regarding the reports of SE's screams, a couple of other papers referred (more cautiously) to them coming "from her home". This could be interpreted as just the house or the house or grounds. The word 'home' suggests house imo but with open windows/doors, it would be harder to distinguish. It is true that other papers reported the car keys as being inside SE's house, not in her car. But how do we know that the police haven't SINCE asked the media to withhold key evidence (no pun intended). Anecdotal evidence is always open to interpretation which is why it is a minefield for police (and journalists!) investigating a case.

 

[Florence61]

Thank you for that Florence. I live near moorland too but here it is barren and open, is that similar?

There’s an awful lot of woodland - look on google images at ‘staffordshire Moorlands ‘

 

[Cherwell]

But just to have a cadaver in a vehicle would not be conclusive as to where the crime occurred.

True, but we don't know what other clues they have from the pathology and forensics.

 

[Florence61]

Mail makes a point of saying the quarry contains no water. I had wondered about that, as the satellite view shows a lake or pond in part of the quarry, but I am not surprised that it's dry following the heatwave and lack of rain.

Tick Hill - Tickhill Quarry 4x4

 

[jessie]

There’s an awful lot of woodland - look on google images at ‘staffordshire Moorlands ‘

Looking on google images seems woodland would be another 20+ miles from Tickhill Quarry ?

 

[Sark06]

Didn't a neighbour say he was seen on Saturday (the day after she was reported missing) with JP going house to house locally making enquiries? Perhaps he took his wife away on Friday afternoon then used the search as an excuse to return home to support her brother (Fri night/Sat morn) during which he disposed of evidence and went about presenting himself as a concerned person a la Huntley? I wonder if MS has any children?

JP must not have known about the threats then? If the fallout had been about the summer house surely he's have told JP as his ex

 

[Insp.Dots]

Hi all, been following but not had time to join in. Great thread to read-Thanks. Am wondering if the ‘sighting at the railway station’ was given by MS when he was first arrested or his Father or ‘friend’....this I would think would make sense as to why they haven’t been charged as yet and let out on bail??

 

[jiminy]

Hi all, been following but not had time to join in. Great thread to read-Thanks. Am wondering if the ‘sighting at the railway station’ was given by MS when he was first arrested or his Father or ‘friend’....this I would think would make sense as to why they haven’t been charged as yet and let out on bail??

I've been wondering this very thing. See also: the possibility she'd gone to Whitby.

 

[Armchair_Defective]

Maybe the quarry was chosen as a disposal site just because it's somewhere familiar to the perpetrator. If you're familiar with an area from childhood, you might try and think of somewhere as quick as you can. Somewhere out of sight of houses and potential witness but familiar enough to know a body would be somewhat concealed.

As for the motive I can't agree this murder would have occurred over something as trivial as building a shed. For someone to kill someone they knew over a small financial matter the person would have to be very desperate. A drug addict for instance might kill and rob or harm people for money but why would someone who is presumably 'stable' and not is a desperate situation? I think deeper emotions must be involved here. Either their was some kind of sexual motive or a need to control the victim because she threatened the accused's status or marriage in some way.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Looking on google maps Stoke looks heavily built up, and little in the way of forestry to the east. Is the area quite flat, any posters here in that area, I've no knowledge of it?

Possibly the nearby countryside is inaccessible with the exception of the salt quarry for the 4x4 meets?

Just my curiosity, really adds nought to this dreadful crime of course.

Stoke is actually an amalgamation of a number of old settlements and is at the heart of the Potteries, which used to be the main centre for ceramics in the UK. It's the home of Wedgwood for instance.

The area around Stoke is generally undulating,with low hills and some river valleys and agriculturally mostly used as pasture. You're right that there's not a lot of forestry nearby but there are wooded river valleys some 5 to 10 miles to the east. However, some 20 miles or so NE of Stoke you get into a fairly remote part of the Peak District around Gradbach and Wildboarclough before you get to Buxton. It's not as wild as Saddleworth Moor by a long shot but with planning you could probably lose a body there for quite a few years. There's also Macclesfield Forest which probably has more than a few hidden corners.

 

[notsure]

It doesn't seem that premeditated to me, otherwise he would have disposed of the body more efficiently and not had to call on other people to help him.

There had probably been angry scenes between them previously, in which he got so riled, he threatened her. She probably didn't really believe he would do it, though, otherwise she would have made sure she was secure in her house at all times.

She knew whatever it was made him really lose his rag, but did she really feel that she was in danger? Does anybody really think they will end up as a murder victim?

It wouldn't surprise me if he came over that day and she let him in, and they had another big scene about whatever the big issue was between them. This time, he snapped.

 

[Hraefn]

You can kind of see into the salt quarry from google street view. Going up and down this road the quarry is to the south. Especially traveling west on this road, it looks very dense with foliage and trees in places.
Google Maps

 

[Yozzer]

JP must not have known about the threats then? If the fallout had been about the summer house surely he's have told JP as his ex

Good point. Do you think SE would have mentioned MS's alleged threats to JP/his sister? Whether the problem related to the shed or another issue yet to be revealed, might it not have been 'too close to home' raising it with them? Perhaps she shared it with her sister/friends/colleagues as there was no emotional connection to MS and they would accept her concerns on face value. Perhaps MS's threats and subsequent actions related directly to wanting her to not disclose damaging information to JP/KS. The hospital colleague's speedy response that Friday evening was commendable.

 

[Alyce]

The Crown Court
at Stafford

Daily List for Wednesday 08 August 2018
Court 4 - sitting at 09:45 am
HIS HONOUR JUDGE CHALLINOR

NOT BEFORE 10:00 am
For Preliminary Hearing
T20187139
STIRLING Michael J

STOTM CPS Ref:21SL0608718

4/2/19 PVL CLS 9.45, CRT 10AM

 

[Alyce]

It doesn't seem that premeditated to me, otherwise he would have disposed of the body more efficiently and not had to call on other people to help him.

There had probably been angry scenes between them previously, in which he got so riled, he threatened her. She probably didn't really believe he would do it, though, otherwise she would have made sure she was secure in her house at all times.

She knew whatever it was made him really lose his rag, but did she really feel that she was in danger? Does anybody really think they will end up as a murder victim?

It wouldn't surprise me if he came over that day and she let him in, and they had another big scene about whatever the big issue was between them. This time, he snapped.

I agree. I think whatever happened was not planned.
With more time, I am sure he would have travelled further to a place where SE might never have been found.
But - if msm is to be believed - he was due to go on holiday that day with family, so time was limited and he used the closest place he could think of that had cover.

I really dont think the other 2 men were actively involved. If they had been, they would both be on remand now, not out on bail. I think their connection has been in providing a false alibi, and/or perhaps even washing the van for MS, without knowing why. And also, possibly, parking the van in a different place ( ie it was not found at MSs home ).

 

[Sark06]

Good point. Do you think SE would have mentioned MS's alleged threats to JP/his sister? Whether the problem related to the shed or another issue yet to be revealed, might it not have been 'too close to home' raising it with them? Perhaps she shared it with her sister/friends/colleagues as there was no emotional connection to MS and they would accept her concerns on face value. Perhaps MS's threats and subsequent actions related directly to wanting her to not disclose damaging information to JP/KS. The hospital colleague's speedy response that Friday evening was commendable.

I think there has to be something more to it that would have threatened MS like an affair or pregnancy or similar that would damage his marriage. For the colleagues to call the police after 20 mins and more importantly for the police to react straight away there must have been some serious threats