Found Deceased Spain - Esther Dingley, from UK, missing in the Pyrenees, November 2020

[Auntie Cipation]

@otto what is your source please for there being some question about whether they still loved each other? I don't recall seeing that.

There has been some discussion about van life being particularly stressful during the pandemic, but I haven't seen any suggestion by a MSM source or the two people involved that there was trouble in their relationship.

Thanks and MOO

 

[Puzzles]

Thanks! I misunderstood, thinking that the planned trip was 3 days. So she was 3 days away from re-connecting with her partner after a month apart when she vanished ... and there was some question on both behalves about whether they still loved each other after living so close together during covid?

I hope the nice young man she met on Nov 19 or so comes forward.

 

[otto]

@otto what is your source please for there being some question about whether they still loved each other? I don't recall seeing that.

There has been some discussion about van life being particularly stressful during the pandemic, but I haven't seen any suggestion by a MSM source or the two people involved that there was trouble in their relationship.

Thanks and MOO

I'll find it - may take a minute. In the mean time, I came across this, about the mystery man:

“I had the option of staying at a great cabin, even had a mattress, but it was only 2pm, or going down with my fellow hiker and getting a lift,” she said.

“He’d take me further up the valley so I could continue my planned tour to another refuge or back to the camper.”
​

When I read statements from officials that she could not be abducted while hiking a mountain, with jokes about fitting her into a rucksak, I am reminded of Meredith Emerson who was abducted hiking with her dog on Blood Mountain. Anything is possible - since the mystery man knew her plans, may have discouraged her from sharing his name and has not come forward.

"According to the publication, a source said it is believed the missing hiker was dropped where her van was found at Benasque on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees.

“This man would have had conversations with her and may know what she planned,” the source said.

“They may have arranged to meet and hike another route. It is imperative that we find him.”​

'Terrifying development' as missing hiker's last selfie revealed

" ... her distraught partner they are now convinced she is not on the mountain."
...

The couple met while studying at Wadham College, Oxford but went travelling six years ago in a camper van after both suffering depression brought on by humdrum jobs.

They meant to tour Europe for one year but stayed on and recently began producing a travel blog with pictures of their adventures - and adopted five stray dogs.

In a soul-searching interview in April this year, both admitted they both had emotional issues that needed resolving.

They said in the joint interview: “We’ve learned travelling doesn’t really solve any problems, it just changes them - the biggest challenges have been emotional.​

Mystery man who gave hiker lift 3 days before she vanished hunted by cops

 

[Kike76]

If we assume no foul play (most unlikely on a mountain) and assuming she broadly was following the route that has been published in newspapers (presumably some indication of this from her partner) then she was planning to go on from Pic de Sauvegarde to Port de Glere. This would not have been possible on the 22nd so she most likely descended to the west from Pic de Sauvegarde and then north down the easy track via Port de Venasque down to the lakes (Boums du Port) to stay overnight. This is reported as the route to take from the refuge to Sauvegarde. She is unlikely to have entered the lake to get water as collecting still water is big no-no and falling into those lakes from the topography is unlikely, though possible. Although it seems she didn’t stay in the refuge she may have camped and note she was not reported missing for several days so not surprising there were no signs of her. Then she would probably have followed the next day the downhill track on a circular route to the north east towards Hospice de France. On the way down there are streams to her left in a wooded area (below the tree line at this point) including a waterfall (cascade de Parisians) which she might have taken a look at and the possibility of falling into water arises. She might have gone there to collect drinking water(unless available at the refuge) as she would have been unlikely to collect lake water further up. Then her trajectory would have been along various possible routes to the West and up the back (North side) towards Port de Glere. If one assumes that she did camp at the refuge de Venasque area and then descend northwards the search area is very extensive and includes the wooded area to the North. She would also have have had to cross a stream/river at some point to get to the west to get on the upward track to Port de Glere.
There is no way that area could have been searched adequately in the time permitted and my guess is that she has some accident north of Port de Venasque along the route she had planned and reported to her partner.

 

[Inverloch]

If we assume no foul play (most unlikely on a mountain) and assuming she broadly was following the route that has been published in newspapers (presumably some indication of this from her partner) then she was planning to go on from Pic de Sauvegarde to Port de Glere. This would not have been possible on the 22nd so she most likely descended to the west from Pic de Sauvegarde and then north down the easy track via Port de Venasque down to the lakes (Boums du Port) to stay overnight. This is reported as the route to take from the refuge to Sauvegarde. She is unlikely to have entered the lake to get water as collecting still water is big no-no and falling into those lakes from the topography is unlikely, though possible. Although it seems she didn’t stay in the refuge she may have camped and note she was not reported missing for several days so not surprising there were no signs of her. Then she would probably have followed the next day the downhill track on a circular route to the north east towards Hospice de France. On the way down there are streams to her left in a wooded area (below the tree line at this point) including a waterfall (cascade de Parisians) which she might have taken a look at and the possibility of falling into water arises. She might have gone there to collect drinking water(unless available at the refuge) as she would have been unlikely to collect lake water further up. Then her trajectory would have been along various possible routes to the West and up the back (North side) towards Port de Glere. If one assumes that she did camp at the refuge de Venasque area and then descend northwards the search area is very extensive and includes the wooded area to the North. She would also have have had to cross a stream/river at some point to get to the west to get on the upward track to Port de Glere.
There is no way that area could have been searched adequately in the time permitted and my guess is that she has some accident north of Port de Venasque along the route she had planned and reported to her partner.

Interesting - this is a very credible theory

 

[Skigh]

Locals fear British hiker missing in Pyrenees 'could have fallen into lake or other freezing water' | Daily Mail Online

The mail is catching up with people's theories here.

 

[AnnesCuthberts]

Excellent post and theory @Kike76 and welcome to WebSleuths

 

[mrjitty]

I really don't know why Esther would photoshop this, or any photo. I think it's possibly been zoomed in and maybe auto-brightened a bit or something like that, both of which can change the composition of a photo, especially if taken on a phone.

I mean it is just so common these days to use instagram filters, crops, auto corrections etc etc without any need for "photoshop"

Anyone who works in the business knows that what your phone "sees" and what your eye "sees" and what your phone "displays" are all different things - even before your filters and effects. And especially for bloggers, doing some basic corrections like crops / flips etc etc etc is not unusual. For my corporate posts, I am well aware of the exact pixel counts I need.

Finally, on upload, there will often be auto-optimisation via apps like WhatsApp - another good reason to crop out parts of your photo you don't want!

 

[mrjitty]

If we assume no foul play (most unlikely on a mountain) and assuming she broadly was following the route that has been published in newspapers (presumably some indication of this from her partner) then she was planning to go on from Pic de Sauvegarde to Port de Glere. This would not have been possible on the 22nd so she most likely descended to the west from Pic de Sauvegarde and then north down the easy track via Port de Venasque down to the lakes (Boums du Port) to stay overnight. This is reported as the route to take from the refuge to Sauvegarde. She is unlikely to have entered the lake to get water as collecting still water is big no-no and falling into those lakes from the topography is unlikely, though possible. Although it seems she didn’t stay in the refuge she may have camped and note she was not reported missing for several days so not surprising there were no signs of her. Then she would probably have followed the next day the downhill track on a circular route to the north east towards Hospice de France. On the way down there are streams to her left in a wooded area (below the tree line at this point) including a waterfall (cascade de Parisians) which she might have taken a look at and the possibility of falling into water arises. She might have gone there to collect drinking water(unless available at the refuge) as she would have been unlikely to collect lake water further up. Then her trajectory would have been along various possible routes to the West and up the back (North side) towards Port de Glere. If one assumes that she did camp at the refuge de Venasque area and then descend northwards the search area is very extensive and includes the wooded area to the North. She would also have have had to cross a stream/river at some point to get to the west to get on the upward track to Port de Glere.
There is no way that area could have been searched adequately in the time permitted and my guess is that she has some accident north of Port de Venasque along the route she had planned and reported to her partner.

This is frequently the issue in NZ when every year trampers go missing in summer on a hike or route to a hut. For some reason they go off the track, get lost/injured and can end up very far away from where you would expect, in dense bush.

 

[Kike76]

Interesting - this is a very credible theory

Wo

This is frequently the issue in NZ when every year trampers go missing in summer on a hike or route to a hut. For some reason they go off the track, get lost/injured and can end up very far away from where you would expect, in dense bush.

I would agree. She was not reported missing for several days and is likely to have moved far from the Pic de Sauvegarde where last photographed (selfie)

 

[mrjitty]

Wo

I would agree. She was not reported missing for several days and is likely to have moved far from the Pic de Sauvegarde where last photographed (selfie)

Definite possibility IMO.

 

[patCee]

Assuming ED camped near the refuge, and followed the likely route outlined by Kiki 76, how long would it take to reach Port de Glere. I'm thinking that despite the gap in time re her disappearance, and the time lapse before being reported missing, she did not phone DC anymore after her call on the afternoon of the 22nd, not even to let him know what sort of night she had. Did he try to phone her? In the event of an accident she might not have gone far from the refuge bearing in mind the terrain. I would expect the searchers to have some idea of her possible route and looked further than Sauvegarde.

 

[Auntie_Seagull]

Particularly odd as it is reported in a newspaper the photo is one the mystery hiker took a day or so before ED's disappearance.

Again, this photo was uploaded to Dan&Esther FB page on November 19, so it was taken at least THREE days before Esther vanished. Looking for the evidence of photoshop use doesn't have much sense, anyway who would do that photoshop? Dan? Folks, please.

 

[patCee]

Again, this photo was uploaded to Dan&Esther FB page on November 19, so it was taken at least THREE days before Esther vanished. Looking for the evidence of photoshop use doesn't have much sense, anyway who would do that photoshop? Dan? Folks, please.

Not being much of a photographer I've no idea why anyone would use photoshop, other than to enhance an image. Who does? I'm curious about many things beyond my knowledge, as are many on here. I hope people feel OK about asking questions without being made to feel uncomfortable about it.

 

[Tortoise]

I'll find it - may take a minute. In the mean time, I came across this, about the mystery man:

“I had the option of staying at a great cabin, even had a mattress, but it was only 2pm, or going down with my fellow hiker and getting a lift,” she said.

“He’d take me further up the valley so I could continue my planned tour to another refuge or back to the camper.”
​

When I read statements from officials that she could not be abducted while hiking a mountain, with jokes about fitting her into a rucksak, I am reminded of Meredith Emerson who was abducted hiking with her dog on Blood Mountain. Anything is possible - since the mystery man knew her plans, may have discouraged her from sharing his name and has not come forward.

"According to the publication, a source said it is believed the missing hiker was dropped where her van was found at Benasque on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees.

“This man would have had conversations with her and may know what she planned,” the source said.

“They may have arranged to meet and hike another route. It is imperative that we find him.”​

'Terrifying development' as missing hiker's last selfie revealed

" ... her distraught partner they are now convinced she is not on the mountain."
...

The couple met while studying at Wadham College, Oxford but went travelling six years ago in a camper van after both suffering depression brought on by humdrum jobs.

They meant to tour Europe for one year but stayed on and recently began producing a travel blog with pictures of their adventures - and adopted five stray dogs.

In a soul-searching interview in April this year, both admitted they both had emotional issues that needed resolving.

They said in the joint interview: “We’ve learned travelling doesn’t really solve any problems, it just changes them - the biggest challenges have been emotional.​

Mystery man who gave hiker lift 3 days before she vanished hunted by cops

I am not expressing an opinion on their relationship, but I do think the following points of record could be useful in the enquiry into Esther's disappearance -

There's this bit in the BBC article dated the date of Esther's disappearance; Esther recorded while she was on her trip -

"We realised that during the coronavirus we had not been apart from each other for a year so decided to each just do our own thing for a bit. This whole thing has been really good for us individually and our relationship; we are genuinely happy now." (source : Van life: Durham couple's six years on the road (and counting) )

I think that entails reading between the lines and individual interpretation of what 'now' means. It could mean since leaving England, or it could mean since she left in October.

This quote from DC's BBC Breakfast interview dated 2nd December 2020 -

"I’ve never seen her as happy as she has been the past few weeks,"

And I notice on the couple's facebook page, in response to a question someone asked about whether loss of free movement would affect their future travelling plans, the reply on 22nd November was that it would and they would be "formally moving to France", re-registering their van and hopeful that there would be another way in the future.

Esther updated facebook with a post on the evening of 19th Nov expressing her disappointment at curtailing her planned overnight stay in the mountains due to bad weather and accepting the lift back to her van. "There will be more days in the hills!" I said to the little part of me that didn't want to go back just yet."

As regards their last reported communication on 22nd, DC said "they discussed how excited they were to see each other as she was on her last trip before driving back."
UK woman who has travelled Europe for six years goes missing in Pyrenees

I'm not in any sense suggesting that is false, I think it is probably true, but I also think if Esther was the happiest she had ever been in those weeks, and was disappointed enough to make a note of her feelings about one lost opportunity to be free in the hills, away from the van, only 3 days prior to their reported last conversation, I think it's only natural to consider that she might have had mixed feelings about her roaming adventure coming to an end. That's not necessarily anything to do with their relationship but more about what made Esther happiest.

MOO

 

[Auntie_Seagull]

Not being much of a photographer I've no idea why anyone would use photoshop, other than to enhance an image. Who does? I'm curious about many things beyond my knowledge, as are many on here. I hope people feel OK about asking questions without being made to feel uncomfortable about it.

As a former journalist who did a fair share of photo relations and a passionate photographer I can tell you that photoshop and other graphic editors are often used to make the photos looking better. If this particular pic of Esther on the mountaintop (that wasn't Pico de Salvaguardia) was edited, it was done to make it look better, nothing more, nothing less, I don't think though Esther's silhouette was pasted into the landscape. The outline is, I think a combination of light, wind flapping with Esther's clothes and artifacts that are not exactly surprising in a photo done with a cellphone. Trying to find anything sinister in it is quite pointless, IMO.

 

[Normal Norm]

I don’t think it has been confirmed, but it appears she may have been in the camping car in Benasque.

That's great, thanks. If that was the case, I'm sure that her phone would have been switched on at some point, which would leave a "ping" trace on the local cell network.

On a different note altogether, I see that Sky News are quoting Marti Vigo del Arco as saying "[Esther] told us she had informed the civil guard that she would be spending two or three days hiking in the mountains, I think this was the first day of the trip." I don't remember seeing this mentioned before.

 

[Sjm_qc]

I am not expressing an opinion on their relationship, but I do think the following points of record could be useful in the enquiry into Esther's disappearance -

There's this bit in the BBC article dated the date of Esther's disappearance; Esther recorded while she was on her trip -

"We realised that during the coronavirus we had not been apart from each other for a year so decided to each just do our own thing for a bit. This whole thing has been really good for us individually and our relationship; we are genuinely happy now." (source : Van life: Durham couple's six years on the road (and counting) )

I think that entails reading between the lines and individual interpretation of what 'now' means. It could mean since leaving England, or it could mean since she left in October.

This quote from DC's BBC Breakfast interview dated 2nd December 2020 -

"I’ve never seen her as happy as she has been the past few weeks,"

And I notice on the couple's facebook page, in response to a question someone asked about whether loss of free movement would affect their future travelling plans, the reply on 22nd November was that it would and they would be "formally moving to France", re-registering their van and hopeful that there would be another way in the future.

Esther updated facebook with a post on the evening of 19th Nov expressing her disappointment at curtailing her planned overnight stay in the mountains due to bad weather and accepting the lift back to her van. "There will be more days in the hills!" I said to the little part of me that didn't want to go back just yet."

As regards their last reported communication on 22nd, DC said "they discussed how excited they were to see each other as she was on her last trip before driving back."
UK woman who has travelled Europe for six years goes missing in Pyrenees

I'm not in any sense suggesting that is false, I think it is probably true, but I also think if Esther was the happiest she had ever been in those weeks, and was disappointed enough to make a note of her feelings about one lost opportunity to be free in the hills, away from the van, only 3 days prior to their reported last conversation, I think it's only natural to consider that she might have had mixed feelings about her roaming adventure coming to an end. That's not necessarily anything to do with their relationship but more about what made Esther happiest.

MOO

I’m not sure it’s particularly significant that Esther wrote about being disappointed about turning back that particular day.

I’ve spent quite a lot of time reading back through their blog (the website, as well as FB & IG) and it seeming very much in keeping with other things she or they both have written in the past.

They both seem very introspective and seem to spend a lot of time analyzing “feelings”, emotions, how their minds “work”, and their relationship.

The one thing that gives me pause about the mention of turning back & the tiny part of her that had wanted to ‘push on’, is how that could have affected a subsequent decision, on the 22nd - say - and perhaps she “pushed on” this time when perhaps she should have turned back...

*Speculation*, JMO, etc etc.

EDITED for typos & words. I shouldn’t type Pre-coffee .

 

[patCee]

That's great, thanks. If that was the case, I'm sure that her phone would have been switched on at some point, which would leave a "ping" trace on the local cell network.

On a different note altogether, I see that Sky News are quoting Marti Vigo del Arco as saying "[Esther] told us she had informed the civil guard that she would be spending two or three days hiking in the mountains, I think this was the first day of the trip." I don't remember seeing this mentioned before.

That also suggests the search parties would have looked further than Sauvegarde where she last communicated.

 

[Sjm_qc]

That also suggests the search parties would have looked further than Sauvegarde where she last communicated.

While no maps of the search areas have been published by the authorities (as far as I can find), there were search teams from both countries who deployed considerable resources (kudos to them) both ground and air for a week, so I think they did probably search quite a large area/the possible route after the Salvaguardia summit.