Found Safe UK - Lewis Pearce, 19, last seen at Southampton Railway Station, 31 Jul 2021

[pokerowan]

That's a point, I hadn't clocked that the Waterloo sighting was a full 24 hours afterwards. Very strange. Maybe he stayed in place to try and get back in contact with his family/transport police to arrange a lift home.

 

[JuicyLucy]

That's a point, I hadn't clocked that the Waterloo sighting was a full 24 hours afterwards. Very strange. Maybe he stayed in place to try and get back in contact with his family/transport police to arrange a lift home.

Well, yeah, it's a bit of a poser.

Hampshire Police have said that he got on a train around 7.25pm on the Saturday and have consistently said that that train was heading to Poole. So to my mind that was probably either the 1924h service (would have arrived in Poole 2013h) or the 1930h (arr. 2055h) - not that there's any evidence afaik that he made it as far as Poole.

The train he should probably have been on is the 1930h to London Waterloo, which calls at Basingstoke at 2015h. So I'm guessing he knew he should be on a 1930h train but was on the wrong platform somehow.

There's a very helpful video of Southampton Central here, which gives a sense of what type and size of station it is: Widgety

But I'm not sure it matters what train he left Southampton on tbh, because that isn't the last time he was seen. As far as I'm aware, the CCTV at 11pm on Sunday is a confirmed sighting, so we know for sure he was in London by Sunday night. How he got there is a bit of a mystery - although people get on trains without tickets all the time and ticket barriers are often open late at night, especially on Sundays - but not that important a mystery, as what we actually need to focus on is what happened after that.

As I see it, there are three main possibilities for his onward movements. Either he left Waterloo again on another train, or he got on the tube, or he left the station on foot. Whichever it was, he may have been alone or accompanied, perhaps by the woman in the platform CCTV image. I would think all three of those possibilities would be well covered by CCTV but going through all of the footage will be fantastically time consuming for the police and may not have been done yet.

Traffic cameras in London are open source, so looking through those images is perhaps something we can do to help: London Traffic Cameras - Live TfL JamCam Feeds

JMO

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

This is the camera at South Lambeth Road/Tradescant Road

South Lambeth Rd Tradescant Rd/2021-08-04 - TfL JamCams Archive

The Food & Wine store where his card was used on *Aug 4 is on the corner of Trad (near bottom left, red door shop is closest) - annoyingly the camera view is 3 doors up on left so you can't see shop itself. But you could see anyone walking along down S Lambeth from that direction. I have had a quick scan through, but no possible I could see, but someone else might. But if his card was taken then we wouldn't know who we were looking for anyway.

*where did I get Aug 4 from? Ach, at 2am my brain is zoning out. But anyway that is the camera spot if anyone wants to further it and check other days too.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

Seems to have gone very quiet over the last few days, not just the police but the family too. I wonder if that's just because there is no further news, or because police have asked they cut back on posting while investigations are undergoing. I feel sure they know more than they are putting out publicly.

 

[StillDiggin]

As others have explained its a complete mess this case and all this confusion about timelines is not helping find Lewis. Theres not much we can take on face value. Friends/family say he was on a much later train and the CCTV we have at Waterloo, they say is Sat 11pm not Sunday 11pm which the police put out.
Again not really a proper timeline from the families point of few has been put out. If it was any police mistakes i was hoping that the Met police would of been on this with a big campaign. This has not happened at least publicly. Time is pressing and the safety of the welfare of Lewis is becoming more uncertain.
I also hope that the low key actions from the friends/family in recent days that there is something we might not need to be so worried about Lewis. They were all over SM at the beginning, thats why i posted the thread.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

@StillDiggin Saturday at 11pm would certainly make more sense. If as the family say, he left Southampton not around 7.30, but 2hrs later, the 9.30 from Soton would arrive London Waterloo at 10.49, which if it were a minute or so late, plus allowing time to get off and walk up to where caught on camera, that would indeed fit the 11pm (or approx, don't think it has been verifed as dead on the hour) sighting.

I am also confused about these girls he was seen talking to 'outside' station and then 'on train'. Who saw this, the police or a camera? Meant the police weren't physically next to him then, as it sounded as they has 'put him on train'. If one or both were people he knew, one could be the Waterloo girl too.

 

[JuicyLucy]

As others have explained its a complete mess this case and all this confusion about timelines is not helping find Lewis. Theres not much we can take on face value. Friends/family say he was on a much later train and the CCTV we have at Waterloo, they say is Sat 11pm not Sunday 11pm which the police put out.
Again not really a proper timeline from the families point of few has been put out. If it was any police mistakes i was hoping that the Met police would of been on this with a big campaign. This has not happened at least publicly. Time is pressing and the safety of the welfare of Lewis is becoming more uncertain.
I also hope that the low key actions from the friends/family in recent days that there is something we might not need to be so worried about Lewis. They were all over SM at the beginning, thats why i posted the thread.

I agree, and it's not really clear why there would need to be so much ambiguity. Supposedly, he was seen chatting to two blonde women both on the platform at Southampton and on the train, so that implies that the train he got on is definitely known. Likewise, cctv footage is timestamped, even if that's been cropped from the image being propagated by the police and msm, so what date it's from is a known thing. It was also said upthread that he had no money to buy a fresh train ticket, and yet then we were told that his bank card had been used by a third party - the implication being that he did have a means of payment on him originally, even if that now seems to have been misappropriated. So there has been a lot of misinformation, possibly from more than one source - it's hard to say as not everyone is citing their sources - and it really isn't helping in an investigation that already had the appearance of a search for a needle in a haystack.

I had hoped by scouring the traffic cams around Waterloo, I might be able to come up with a slightly later last sighting and perhaps also find an indication of what direction he headed in. I haven't found anything yet but, as I predicted, the area is well served and there's a lot of footage to go through.

How's this for an idea. It's not uncommon for cctv timestamps to remain the same all year round and not be changed for BST. What if the image of Lewis arriving at Waterloo is timestamped just after 11pm on Saturday 31st July, as his family maintain, but the police, realising that the cctv is an hour out, have (correctly) announced he was last seen on Sunday 1 August, but neglected to add that that now means he arrived at 0001h onwards, not 2301 onwards?

The 2230 from Southampton on Saturday arrived at Waterloo at 0011 on Sunday (and as a point of interest originally left Poole at 2142). If Lewis left Southampton later than supposed, or was on the wrong train originally and then doubled back but missed his Basingstoke stop (perhaps because he was chatting to the woman in the cctv image) he could plausibly have been on that train and arrived in the small hours of Sunday - which means I'm looking at the wrong set of images and need to start again (sob).

I've contacted Hants Police several times now asking for clarity about the trains and times, but no reply as yet. I'll update the thread if/when they do.

JMO

[edited for clarity]

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

It was also said upthread that he had no money to buy a fresh train ticket, and yet then we were told that his bank card had been used by a third party - the implication being that he did have a means of payment on him originally, even if that now seems to have been misappropriated.

He didn't have any money on the Saturday/Sunday. Money was subsequently put into his account by family when it became known he was missing.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

Thinking about this card use in Lambeth. The shop itself doesn't have a cash machine outside. A few do have one inside, but what I think is more likely is that someone bought items up to the value of £45 and just used contactless, thereby not requiring any PIN. The shop should still have CCTV though as those 24hr type convenience places - especially those selling alcohol - always do.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

Update

An interesting - and positive one in some respects - update from the family to above links indicates LP was in Tower Hill area of London 'a few days ago', with a CCTV image in an KFC. The first sighting since the Aug 1 Waterloo station one.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

Can't understand why police aren't being more proactive on updates and appeals?

Do they perhaps think he is just having a jolly in London and so not high on list of priorities?

There has been no main press in the nationals, no posters. Though given the absolute volume of missing people, from young teens to those in their 80s, I can see the police have a daunting task.

If LP has some kind of condition that affects his mental functioning in terms of prioritizing and following plans, maybe he just doesn't realise he is being looked for and is just having a 'holiday'?

 

[pokerowan]

Either that or he really, really doesn't want to go back to what he walked out from... If so, then until he comes forward to say 'leave me alone', the search will have to continue.

 

[annpats]

Yes, and at 19, he is an adult, probably hence the police's lack of action and concern?
Legally, no-one can make him return home or get involved due to his privacy - plus, of course, the modern saying that 'people have a right to be missing'.

This is what makes young adults going missing so difficult. Still so young, but in the eyes of the law, not a minor, so there's little that can be legally done. This is where I feel for families.

 

[Normal Norm]

... or he really, really doesn't want to go back to what he walked out from... .

Edited by me for focus.

I am now beginning to think that that is the case here. It has been 5 days since Hampshire Police last updated their appeal (although they haven't removed it, either). As has been noted further back in this thread, friends and family, who were previously very vocal, particularly in their criticism of the police, now seem to have gone quiet. Do they know something we don't?

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

Edited by me for focus.

I am now beginning to think that that is the case here. It has been 5 days since Hampshire Police last updated their appeal (although they haven't removed it, either). As has been noted further back in this thread, friends and family, who were previously very vocal, particularly in their criticism of the police, now seem to have gone quiet. Do they know something we don't?

There is another case where a young woman is still 'missing', acting out of character and causing worry to friends who are still actively searching for her (won't mention her by name, but case on WS in Located), but who is now no longer considered 'missing' by police as she has been seen going into a shop and is feeding herself.

I know police resources are stretched, but surely they should secure contact before scaling back. Not saying that is case with LP, but does not appear to be high priority, possibly because he has now been seen and is considered an adult.

 

[Catdetective]

Update

An interesting - and positive one in some respects - update from the family to above links indicates LP was in Tower Hill area of London 'a few days ago', with a CCTV image in an KFC. The first sighting since the Aug 1 Waterloo station one.

This case is bizarre with the lack of information (or accurate information) from police appeals. I saw the family are circulating the KFC images but presumably they obtained them from the police who don't appear to be appealing for info about the sighting. In any case, I noticed from the full CCTV still that he appears to be wearing different trousers and looks cleanly shaven so presumably someone has taken him in and is supporting him financially.

I was wondering if perhaps he has learning difficulties and therefore would be vulnerable to being coerced by others in some way.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

@Catdetective Agree with your last paragraph above.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

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[Normal Norm]

There are a couple of social media posts stating that Lewis has been found, but nothing official yet from Hampshire Police. I'm not sure we'll ever find out what really happened.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

There are a couple of social media posts stating that Lewis has been found, but nothing official yet from Hampshire Police. I'm not sure we'll ever find out what really happened.

So saying posts on Missing People UK

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