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

[cottonweaver]

Perhaps! It just struck me as odd since the police had already stated a relationship had recently broken down for her to then categorically state that SE wasn't seeing anyone.

Either way I feel incredibly sorry for the E & P families...lots of supposition and inference flying about. They are processing some very tough emotions right now.

It's WS though....
It's raison d'etre is speculation whether it's missing persons/supposing pre-trial or inferring during trial( latter being more interesting) so don't think you can reasonably expect to avoid supposition & inference on WS.

Would add to that and guess that every person here also has had/have sympathies for the Stirling family too. MS has a wife & daughter whose lives have potentially been wrecked. ( Ditto despite the initial arrest of "suspicion of Assisting an offender & bail" we might have to add another blameless family whose lives get ruined by this.)

 

[Shiressleuth]

That's not true. In any such case, the victim's relationships and behaviour may be connected to what has happened to them. Sex, money and revenge are the three most common motives behind murder, regardless of the victim's gender. Are you familiar with the Corrie McKeague case? There has certainly been plenty of discussion about his sexual behaviour.

You're exactly right, Cherwell. I brought that up too on another case. Not talking about it can hamper the case I think ( as in the CM case it was 4 months before his gf and sex life was mentioned by MSM enabling us to finally discuss).

 

[cottonweaver]

With every young woman missing or murdered, there is always gossip about sexual misbehaviour, but it does not seem to apply to men. The double standard.

would part of the reason not also be that many such cases involve a perp who is linked to the female victim ( past /present relationship) ? ie. about 90% of women's murders involve a perp who they know and I've just checked some of the stats:

Women were far more likely to be killed by partners or ex-partners (50% of female victims aged 16 and over compared with 3% of male victims aged 16 and over),

whereas men were more likely to be killed by friends or acquaintances (32% of male victims aged 16 and over compared with 10% of female victims aged 16 and over).

ONS

 

[Shiressleuth]

I can understand this. It is far from uncommon for murderers to want to cover the face, particularly the eyes, of their victim. This is even more common where the perpetrator has a personal relationship with the victim.

I'm quite reluctant to post this here because I would hate for my post to affect anyone personally, but....It is a very eerie feeling to be in the presence of the body of a deceased person. Add to that the fact that your emotions are heightened by the fact that you have, in these very moments, caused that person to become deceased. You can't make a recently deceased person's eyes remain completely shut, and those eyes will give you the heebie jeebies, believe you me!! As many of you have mentioned, masking tape is a poor choice for a heavy duty sticking tape. So the quote about tape on the eyes and face I imagine to be tape placed for the purpose of closing her eyes, with other strips of tape placed in a cross-tape fashion in order to keep those in place. Hence covering further parts of her face.

Her body was reportedly found within a duvet COVER, not a duvet as some posters have sited. To manhandle a deceased person fully into a duvet cover, having to roll and manoeuvre them, as would be required, in this eerie environment, well..... the strongest of stomachs would not be able to perform that task without turning that person into a 'body' by blocking out their looking at you

Seeing as he came up with the duvet cover, why not just cover her head with a pillow case?

 

[cottonweaver]

yes that's what I meant by "contain a forensic area." But would she fit inside it SS?

Yes[/QUOTE]
not sure but the press reports say "wrapped" so could mean either:

Jonas Hankin QC telling the court the young woman had been murdered between July 26 and August 5.

He added: “Eastwood was found in a shallow grave with masking tape covering her face and eyes and wrapped within a single duvet cover.


Murdered midwife found 'with duvet on her' as cops probe strangle theory

 

[Alyce]

I can understand this. It is far from uncommon for murderers to want to cover the face, particularly the eyes, of their victim. This is even more common where the perpetrator has a personal relationship with the victim.

I'm quite reluctant to post this here because I would hate for my post to affect anyone personally, but....It is a very eerie feeling to be in the presence of the body of a deceased person. Add to that the fact that your emotions are heightened by the fact that you have, in these very moments, caused that person to become deceased. You can't make a recently deceased person's eyes remain completely shut, and those eyes will give you the heebie jeebies, believe you me!! As many of you have mentioned, masking tape is a poor choice for a heavy duty sticking tape. So the quote about tape on the eyes and face I imagine to be tape placed for the purpose of closing her eyes, with other strips of tape placed in a cross-tape fashion in order to keep those in place. Hence covering further parts of her face.

Her body was reportedly found within a duvet COVER, not a duvet as some posters have sited. To manhandle a deceased person fully into a duvet cover, having to roll and manoeuvre them, as would be required, in this eerie environment, well..... the strongest of stomachs would not be able to perform that task without turning that person into a 'body' by blocking out their looking at you

Oh very good point - I had not picked up that distinction - duvet cover and not an actual duvet.

And using more strips of tape to keep the original tape in place also makes sense, being as it was masking tape.

But - if this was a cover - then I am puzzled about the need for tape over the eyes. If her body was inside a cover, then he would not be able to see her face at all ? ( not questioning you Lucy, just musing to myself here ).

 

[stokiep]

Seeing as he came up with the duvet cover, why not just cover her head with a pillow case?

Perhaps he thought the duvet cover would be large enough to cover the entire body and head? If it was a single duvet cover i wonder if it was smaller than he expected.... posibly even a childs cover from his own home? Mabe thats why the masking tape was used as it was an afterthought? I know I mentioned this on my first post but if the cover didnt cover the head then maybe the tape was to either hide the face or secure the hair to prevent evidence being left behind.

 

[cottonweaver]

Seeing as he came up with the duvet cover, why not just cover her head with a pillow case?

I agree, it could be taken to indicate something else, which we've all skirted around, understandably - too grim to countenance - but OTOH if a person was actually kidnapped initially a fabric blindfold/pillow isn't effective if you just wanted to stop someone seeing where they are going.

 

[Alyce]

Standard UK Single Duvet / Single Duvet Cover Size

54" x 78" (137cm x 198cm)

 

[Shiressleuth]

That's true re a shared vehicle & shared keys: if you thought you might have to leave that vehicle (with it's locked away body) for a while you 'd want to be doubly sure. So if you expected a delay in disposal of the body/vehicle access by another in the meantime.......

Also tho - what about.... along the lines of Truthfinder & previous poster who mentioned The Fall programme..... you really want to scare someone by confinement in a box, not necessarily a dead body? Could that be an option or is it too outlandish?


Takes us back to unintentional suffocation question again....

That's a horrible but possible thought.

 

[Kylelay]

Standard UK Single Duvet / Single Duvet Cover Size

54" x 78" (137cm x 198cm)

I’m 5ft 3, the same as SE, just climbed inside my son’s single duvet cover and it covers me above my head with my toes at the bottom.

 

[jessie]

I’m 5ft 3, the same as SE, just climbed inside my son’s single duvet cover and it covers me above my head with my toes at the bottom.

Thanks for that experiment, good for you Kylelay. The strange things we try out ourselves on WS to prove a point

 

[Alyce]

I’m 5ft 3, the same as SE, just climbed inside my son’s single duvet cover and it covers me above my head with my toes at the bottom.

Good work !

And, if he was so concerned not to look at her face, then why not put the cover on from the head down, not the feet up.

 

[Kylelay]

Thanks for that experiment, good for you Kylelay. The strange things we try out ourselves on WS to prove a point

I was thinking that at the time!
I also climbed in feet first, but thought to myself that if I was putting someone (alive or dead) inside the duvet cover then I’d put their head in to the opening of the cover first, and pull it down over the rest of their body. So even if it were someone taller, only their legs and feet would stick out of the opening, not their head.

 

[Kylelay]

Good work !

And, if he was so concerned not to look at her face, then why not put the cover on from the head down, not the feet up.

Exactly what came to me as I was in the duvet cover! As well as covering the face, it’s also an easier way to ‘put on’ the duvet cover to someone else.

 

[Jennifer17]

would part of the reason not also be that many such cases involve a perp who is linked to the female victim ( past /present relationship) ? ie. about 90% of women's murders involve a perp who they know and I've just checked some of the stats:

Women were far more likely to be killed by partners or ex-partners (50% of female victims aged 16 and over compared with 3% of male victims aged 16 and over),

whereas men were more likely to be killed by friends or acquaintances (32% of male victims aged 16 and over compared with 10% of female victims aged 16 and over).

ONS

Yes, of course, but that does not mean that she was having a covert affair with her killer. They are mainly, out in the open real relationships that have broken down.

 

[Yozzer]

Seeing as he came up with the duvet cover, why not just cover her head with a pillow case?

I think it's early days with the tape theories. There has been a lot of discussion about not wanting to look at the victim's eyes, his feelings etc. but we don't know anything about the nature of MS* or his frame of mind at the time of the murder. I would be interested to know where the tape originated from i.e. was it found in SE's home or elsewhere. Same with the duvet cover.

*A revelatory point in Ian Huntley's trial was when he was asked to describe his FEELINGS as he removed HW/JC's bodies from upstairs in his house to the boot of his car. He struggled with this, not able to provide the expected response of someone recalling the moment when they had 'accidentally' killed 2 children (devastated?, repulsed? nauseous?, suicidal?). I think the best he could come up with was "not good".

PS not comparing these 2 characters in any way but we don't know MS's state of mind pre and post murder.

 

[truthfinder34]

I can understand this. It is far from uncommon for murderers to want to cover the face, particularly the eyes, of their victim. This is even more common where the perpetrator has a personal relationship with the victim.

I'm quite reluctant to post this here because I would hate for my post to affect anyone personally, but....It is a very eerie feeling to be in the presence of the body of a deceased person. Add to that the fact that your emotions are heightened by the fact that you have, in these very moments, caused that person to become deceased. You can't make a recently deceased person's eyes remain completely shut, and those eyes will give you the heebie jeebies, believe you me!! As many of you have mentioned, masking tape is a poor choice for a heavy duty sticking tape. So the quote about tape on the eyes and face I imagine to be tape placed for the purpose of closing her eyes, with other strips of tape placed in a cross-tape fashion in order to keep those in place. Hence covering further parts of her face.

Her body was reportedly found within a duvet COVER, not a duvet as some posters have sited. To manhandle a deceased person fully into a duvet cover, having to roll and manoeuvre them, as would be required, in this eerie environment, well..... the strongest of stomachs would not be able to perform that task without turning that person into a 'body' by blocking out their looking at you

I see your point about the tape but all reports state "tape around the eyes and face" if it was put on the cross shape you described, would it not state tape over the eyes and face. it could just be a poor choice of words though.

also reports state " single duvet wrapped around the body " not inside.

 

[truthfinder34]

Yes, of course, but that does not mean that she was having a covert affair with her killer. They are mainly, out in the open real relationships that have broken down.

Good point Jennifer, it could be that MS thought of it as a real relationship where as SE thought of it as a stupid mistake.

 

[Yozzer]

I see your point about the tape but all reports state "tape around the eyes and face" if it was put on the cross shape you described, would it not state tape over the eyes and face. it could just be a poor choice of words though.

also reports state " single duvet wrapped around the body " not inside.

I think I have read 'wrapped within' too. It's open to interpretation isn't it. I would imagine it would be easier to wrap the cover around than to attempt to place a person inside a cover unassisted; but for transportation, the latter would be more secure.