GUILTY UK - Maria Rawlings, 45, murdered, Romford, Essex, 3 May 2021 *arrest*

[JuicyLucy]

He also seemed well prepared for his night prowl - no backpack to hamper movement, all things hidden in bulging pockets, dark almost paramilitarny clothes. Except white soled shoes haha I must admit Im allergic to them - once I even painted white soles grey of my fav boots

I agree, and you might also wonder if he knew exactly when that last bus would run.

The shoes are distinctive and a real mistake (assuming he is the perp), especially if there turn out to be other crimes they appear in the vicinity of.

JMO

 

[Splash The Fly]

Not at all, you didn’t insult me, I just wanted you to know that I am aware more than perhaps you realised that’s all . I’m sorry if it came across otherwise.
Interestingly, I am starting a degree in psychology in September as I have always had an interest in it and I was medically retired from the Police after a workplace accident left me temporarily paralysed albeit I am able to walk now but I have limitations and spinal pain constantly and still having surgery some 13 years later! So I am still relatively young (51) and have time on my hands now that my twins are older . Thank you for your kind words.

Nah, is fine (I'm not insulted or anything like that ;P).
Damn, I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. I hope that the surgeries will help you get rid of the limitations and that your pain will go away (or at least lessen).
So cool that you're starting a degree in psychology!
Damn, you're a cool lady! I know that you can do it, you sure have a great attitude (as in positive mindset).
Feel free to message me for any reason whatsoever (and I'm gonna be active on this site, so we'll see each others name pop up once in a while).

Be safe out there, and I wish you and your family well (I hope that I said all that correctly without sounding weird. *_*' )

 

[Splash The Fly]

I do think from watching that she knows the person she is with, i cant see what they refer to as him coming from behind her. I don't think it looks a relaxed conversation but i do think he may be known to her.

I think so too, she didn't walk faster than him (what could indicate that she was frightened if she did walk faster). Damn. With murder, its usually someone they know (more cases that the person knows them as cases where they don't know them). Poor lady.

Of course, I'm just theorizing and I'm not a professional, so if you can prove me wrong, please do (and teach me).

 

[Splash The Fly]

Thanks for posting that @opalsqueak63. Who are these people who send their doorcam footage to the DM instead of the police?

Does anybody else think they look a bit drunk? It seems to me there's a bit of stumbling going on as they round the edge of the shrubbery.

I agree they look acquainted, rather than her having someone come up behind her unexpectedly, but if they are drunk it may not be an acquaintanceship of particularly long standing.

Is it me or does it seem as if she is linking her arm with him (maybe for support). It could be the grainy footage or just my mind, but I'm throwing it out here, please don't let this interfere with your perception of the footage (just a question for everyone in the thread, nothing more).

 

[Dotta]

I see sth completely different. I see him holding her in a death grip and poking sth at her side. She is stumbling in absolute terror. I also noticed in one of the cctv pics that she was leaving the hospital wearing flip-flops on bare feet. How strange! Ladies - always use taxis at night!!!!

 

[Rosegold68]

Even taxis aren’t always safe though

 

[Splash The Fly]

There's something that's been bothering me about this case from the beginning.

She was at A&E on Monday night and left about 10.45pm. Her body was found at 2pm on Tuesday, in the bushes on the green north of the hospital.

But it wasn't until after the post mortem on Wednesday that LE designated this as a murder, because it was found that she had suffered strangulation as well as possible blunt force trauma. The press was briefed on Friday.

What is it that they thought they were looking at when they found her body on Tuesday that made them not designate it a murder right then and there? Because from what we've heard so far, it seems like murder would be your first thought if you found a body dumped in bushes, right?

The only thing I can think of is that they suspected drug overdose, which would chime with the unsteadiness and the fact that she'd attended a hospital some distance from home, but I don/t think you would assume a drug death unless there was some e.g. paraphernalia at the scene.

What do people think?

JMO

Hmmm, that's a good theory. Not bad at all. I mean, nowadays there would be more homeless people (due to Corona), so maybe they thought that she was homeless (could be, I've volunteered once in a homeless shelter in my city and with most you couldn't even tell. I always feel sorry for them) and maybe hit her head in the middle of the night? or maybe they thought that she was drunk and hit her head? She might have worn something that would cover up her neck injuries (she had a parka on, I do think parka is the term), I mean, the roads seem wet in the footage (and the other guy has his hood on), so maybe it was cold and wet? I'm just throwing out "maybe's" and "what if's", so this comment is no truth, but just a bunch of possibilities.

You have a good theory! Keep up the good work. You wanted my thoughts, here they are.

 

[Skigh]

I see sth completely different. I see him holding her in a death grip and poking sth at her side. She is stumbling in absolute terror. I also noticed in one of the cctv pics that she was leaving the hospital wearing flip-flops on bare feet. How strange! Ladies - always use taxis at night!!!!

It is possible that she could not afford a taxi or preferred to spend her money on other things.
The flip flops are an interesting choice of foot wear.

 

[Dotta]

Even taxis aren’t always safe though

Well, I live in a relatively quiet area in a different country so I trust taxi drivers, they even wait till I safely open the front door But I always call the respectable taxi agency - they give me the nr of the car and the driver. Its all in the system. So if anything bad happened to me (Heaven forbid!) the driver would be the prime suspect! But I only met friendly and chatty ones hihi

 

[Skigh]

I think so too, she didn't walk faster than him (what could indicate that she was frightened if she did walk faster). Damn. With murder, its usually someone they know (more cases that the person knows them as cases where they don't know them). Poor lady.

Of course, I'm just theorizing and I'm not a professional, so if you can prove me wrong, please do (and teach me).

Theorizing is all we all do on here. It is always good to have different ideas to consider. Please continue to add your thoughts for us to think about.

We all can pick up different things when viewing videos. All opinions are equally valid.

 

[JuicyLucy]

It did s possible that she could not afford a taxi or preferred to spend her money on other things.
The flip flops are an interesting choice of foot wear.

Yes, I thought them odd too, especially as it was cold on Monday night iirc. I wondered if they were related to the A&E attendance - either a foot/ankle injury and one was swollen, or a condition that included swollen feet/ankles as a symptom, e.g. heart or renal problems.

 

[proclee]

I’ve seen some memorial posts from a few of her friends and she definitely appears to be a fun loving sociable lady.. which to me says she could easily of got chatting to the suspect if he appeared to initially being friendly, and with him having such a young baby like face he maybe wouldn’t of seemed a threat

 

[Splash The Fly]

I think I can see some blood on his fingers/knuckles He looks tense, upset. He also seems to have strange gait. He reminds me of Grace M killer.

Got that still for you.
It could also be the quality and the shadows playing tricks. Just throwing the stills in this thread for anyone who wants to know.

 

[Splash The Fly]

I'm quite sure Julia James' death was regarded as suspicious the minute she was found. They're not directly comparable though, are they. It's not a competition.

I'm just surprised Maria's wasn't. As far as anyone has said, she wasn't a known street drunk, for instance, and she wasn't elderly and frail. I guess I'm curious to know if there was something about the crime scene we haven't heard about that misdirected LE. If so, that might tell us something about the perp.

It feels like my curiosity is getting people's backs up but I'm not sure why - curiosity is what brings us all to this site surely?

ETA: JMO

Its very nice to read your theories, keep posting them. It could be that the crime scene first looked like an accidental scene first (flip flops + cold weather + perhaps dew on grass = falling (at least with this clumsy one!)). Its a strange case...

 

[ApparentlyInDenial]

Assuming he got off the bus at Dagenham Heath, Singleton Road or Fanshawe Crescent, this rape in October might be of interest, at 2am:

"He is described as white, of slim build, approximately 5ft 8 inches tall and aged in his mid-20s."

Appeal following rape in Dagenham

 

[ApparentlyInDenial]

And this one:

Police appeal for witnesses after girl, 14, raped in Goodmayes Park | Time 107.5 fm

"The victim started jogging near the basketball courts and as she ran around the park was grabbed by a male who forced her into bushes and attacked her. "

 

[Dotta]

I am really wondering if Kent case and this one are connected. I mean a young serial killer with Mommy issues. Its far fetched I know but... Life is stranger than fiction. And pandemic doesnt help people with mental problems.

 

[Herat]

A/c Essex Police, Maria attended Accident & Emergency. If she left at 22.40, highly likely she'd been there over four hours, at least. It's not obvious why she was at A&E, not from public info.

This is a photo of her leaving A&E. She was then seen "in the company of" (but doesn't say on foot) someone else further down Barley Lane at 23.15. So half an hour lapsed to go just a few metres.

Public Portal

I can't be sure she has that large white bag with the dark stripes in the attack footage.

One of the first shots has what looks like a white face visible, but in the latter shots where the are rounding the corner, no bag is visible to me.

What happened to the bag?

 

[JuicyLucy]

I can't be sure she has that large white bag with the dark stripes in the attack footage.

One of the first shots has what looks like a white face visible, but in the latter shots where the are rounding the corner, no bag is visible to me.

What happened to the bag?

I feel it's under her left arm, between them. But it may just be an artefact on the video.

 

[Herat]

The video shows the larger person, presumably the attacker, has white around the soles of his shoes, just like the fellow on the bus