Found Deceased UK - Richard Okorogheye, 19, Oxford Student, Ladbroke Grove, West London, 24 Mar 2021

[MsMiniSleuth]

I wonder how much of the forest they have covered so far? If, just supposing, the sighting of a male resembling him days ago, WAS him, he may well have moved on now.

 

[sleuthheywood7]

I wonder how much of the forest they have covered so far? If, just supposing, the sighting of a male resembling him days ago, WAS him, he may well have moved on now.

Yep - its so huge - and if he has disappeared of his own accord, I guess he could potentially have picked up on the police presence and moved. There haven't been any images released of forensics yet - does that mean they haven't found anything of note as evidence?

 

[Wendy101]

Mom said his bank card and phone were at home, assuming he has no phone or money.. yet, Richard does have a phone and access to money:. I think Richard has a secret.. hope he’s safe

 

[tedtink]

I'd be surprised if he stayed in the forest for any length of time and then moved on.
I'll also be surprised if they find his body in the forest.
I think he probably got into another vehicle and is now choosing to lie low or being forced to, due to the publicity and Police searches.
JMO

 

[Jenesaisquoi]

If he is having to lie low, then at some point he will need to do something about his sickle cell. He needs to get in touch with the police on 101, even if he isn’t ready to go home yet.

 

[Skigh]

I'd be surprised if he stayed in the forest for any length of time and then moved on.
I'll also be surprised if they find his body in the forest.
I think he probably got into another vehicle and is now choosing to lie low or being forced to, due to the publicity and Police searches.
JMO

I think it could be likely he did get into another vehicle,but I think he had planned to return home before his mum reported him missing.

I am not sure whether he is lying low, being held or has come to harm.

 

[KensingtonandChelsea]

His mother has a suspicion that he met someone online and his father says that he also feels he got in touch with a person or people online. An earlier post on this thread said that his mother had noted he was paying less attention to his personal hygiene and was less talkative, that he was withdrawn. IMO what she said about him being happy and laughing while speaking to someone during his gaming sessions coupled with the fact that he seems to have been showing classic signs of forming a secretive relationship with someone over the internet makes me think that he went to Epping Forest to meet someone who perhaps didn't have the best intentions for him. I can feel that maybe with shielding and being a young man who just wants to go outside and meet friends and be active, it was difficult for him. Having sickle cell anaemia must be hard enough and then on top of that a pandemic, lockdown, shielding etc.

Not to mention he was 'stuck' at home with his mother and had no siblings so no one of his own age to speak to in person. As a child of immigrants, I can see how mentally exhausting or even annoying it must be for a young person in their late teens to be trapped at home with only their parent who has a largely different perspective on life than they do due to not being born and raised in the UK. I find it difficult to 'chat' to my parents in a casual, recreational way because they don't always understand things I'm referring to so I end up spending most of my time explaining things to them and by that time I've forgotten what the point of the conversation was. I wonder if Richard just wanted to speak to people his own age in person (or someone he thought was his own age online.)

As you can tell by my username, I live in Kensington albeit not around the Ladbroke Grove area so this hits relatively close to home for me. I hope he's found safe and sound.

 

[annpats]

Not wanting to sound too macabre, but I keep going back and forth on the suicide idea. Here are my thoughts agsinst:

If he did go I to the forest to commit suicide, how would he do it? Hanging? Would he have been able to put enough rope in that tiny bag?

Also, he'd have to search out a strong enough branch at the right height....and that's not easy in absolute pitch black darkness.

Not to mention it's a long way to go to hang yourself, when there are closer parks much closer to home with discreet trees and bush areas.

Just MOO and my ponderings.

 

[KensingtonandChelsea]

Not wanting to sound too macabre, but I keep going back and forth on the suicide idea. Here are my thoughts agsinst:

If he did go I to the forest to commit suicide, how would he do it? Hanging? Would he have been able to put enough rope in that tiny bag?

Also, he'd have to search out a strong enough branch at the right height....and that's not easy in absolute pitch black darkness.

Not to mention it's a long way to go to hang yourself, when there are closer parks much closer to home with discreet trees and bush areas.

Just MOO and my ponderings.

Epping Forest is quite big so maybe he thought he would go more unnoticed there rather than a smaller park closer to home. I also thought this may be a suicide in the first instance as his mother said he was struggling to cope with shielding and had sickle cell anaemia. However after hearing that both his parents suspect he'd met someone online, my opinion has changed. I think he just really wanted to make friends which is hard enough with a disease like sickle cell anaemia which can make you feel isolated but even worse with a pandemic going on. Having just started university (I think) maybe he'd been hoping to get out of London once and for all and be able to socialise with classmates at Oxford Brookes.

 

[Tortoise]

My feeling is that I don't think he went to commit suicide. I think he was lured there, on some pretext. JMO

 

[Number8]

Not wanting to sound too macabre, but I keep going back and forth on the suicide idea. Here are my thoughts agsinst:

If he did go I to the forest to commit suicide, how would he do it? Hanging? Would he have been able to put enough rope in that tiny bag?

Also, he'd have to search out a strong enough branch at the right height....and that's not easy in absolute pitch black darkness.

Not to mention it's a long way to go to hang yourself, when there are closer parks much closer to home with discreet trees and bush areas.

Just MOO and my ponderings.

I’m not sure that discussing these details is productive, and many people are triggered by this kind of detailed talk about suicide. If Richard did take his own life, we will probably find out eventually.

IMO, parents have good instincts about what their kids are up to. If both his mom and dad saw signs that he was being groomed, that seems like a strong lead.

I haven’t been following every page of this thread so apologies if it’s already been discussed, but it could also be that Richard had a mental health break - leaving his money at home, and taking both a bus and a taxi, could be signs of disordered thinking and/or paranoia. I have a family member this happened to and luckily she was rescued before anything happened. Whatever the case is, he is a vulnerable person and 10 days missing is a long time.

MOO

 

[shadwell]

I think it could be likely he did get into another vehicle,but I think he had planned to return home before his mum reported him missing.

I am not sure whether he is lying low, being held or has come to harm.

Not impossible. The Victoria Tavern cctv gives the impression he was heading for a specific location - from that drop-off point the Earl’s Path Pond and car park seem most likely.

 

[Rosegold68]

I’m not sure that discussing these details is productive, and many people are triggered by this kind of detailed talk about suicide. If Richard did take his own life, we will probably find out eventually.

IMO, parents have good instincts about what their kids are up to. If both his mom and dad saw signs that he was being groomed, that seems like a strong lead.

I haven’t been following every page of this thread so apologies if it’s already been discussed, but it could also be that Richard had a mental health break - leaving his money at home, and taking both a bus and a taxi, could be signs of disordered thinking and/or paranoia. I have a family member this happened to and luckily she was rescued before anything happened. Whatever the case is, he is a vulnerable person and 10 days missing is a long time.

MOO

suicide is talked about in greater detail than that, over this site!! If its 'triggering' then maybe its not the place for those people, its against TOS to try to moderate peoples posts is it not?

I think its a very valid theory. where has it been said that Richards parents both saw signs he was being groomed? Has that been stated in msm? link?

 

[Dénouement]

suicide is talked about in greater detail than that, over this site!! If its 'triggering' then maybe its not the place for those people, its against TOS to try to moderate peoples posts is it not?

I think its a very valid theory. where has it been said that Richards parents both saw signs he was being groomed? Has that been stated in msm? link?

Err several times it
could be interpreted that way just on the previous few pages

Have they looked at Earls path CCTV if any?

 

[infinit]

His mother has a suspicion that he met someone online and his father says that he also feels he got in touch with a person or people online. An earlier post on this thread said that his mother had noted he was paying less attention to his personal hygiene and was less talkative, that he was withdrawn. IMO what she said about him being happy and laughing while speaking to someone during his gaming sessions coupled with the fact that he seems to have been showing classic signs of forming a secretive relationship with someone over the internet makes me think that he went to Epping Forest to meet someone who perhaps didn't have the best intentions for him. I can feel that maybe with shielding and being a young man who just wants to go outside and meet friends and be active, it was difficult for him. Having sickle cell anaemia must be hard enough and then on top of that a pandemic, lockdown, shielding etc.

Not to mention he was 'stuck' at home with his mother and had no siblings so no one of his own age to speak to in person. As a child of immigrants, I can see how mentally exhausting or even annoying it must be for a young person in their late teens to be trapped at home with only their parent who has a largely different perspective on life than they do due to not being born and raised in the UK. I find it difficult to 'chat' to my parents in a casual, recreational way because they don't always understand things I'm referring to so I end up spending most of my time explaining things to them and by that time I've forgotten what the point of the conversation was. I wonder if Richard just wanted to speak to people his own age in person (or someone he thought was his own age online.)

As you can tell by my username, I live in Kensington albeit not around the Ladbroke Grove area so this hits relatively close to home for me. I hope he's found safe and sound.

When I was his age I also met people off the internet, my parent's weren't always aware. But past midnight, on the edge of a forest, in a location I'm not familiar with, with my phone in Airplane mode - No chance.

The only way I could see that working was if the initial location was agreed in W2 in a far more public location and then somehow someone has persuaded him to change that location - But eitherway I'd want my wallet and bus pass before I even left.

Not using his bus pass and putting the phone potentially in Airplane mode indicates a desire for his movements to not easily be trackable - But why - I can't figure out.

 

[Dénouement]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1377958272339210240

His mother speaking again

 

[shadwell]

where has it been said that Richards parents both saw signs he was being groomed? Has that been stated in msm? link?

“Ms Joel claims he told her he was "struggling to cope" before he disappeared, sparking fears he could be suffering with depression as a result of months spent locked in his room shielding. [...]

She believes he may have been groomed by someone online who is now "holding him against his will".”

Richard Okorogheye: Missing student has chronic condition and was 'struggling to cope' with shielding, mum says

“He is a tall strong man; he enjoys talking to his friends. At a point, he got cut off from his friends. Somehow, it happened that he met some people who we were not 100% sure about.

‘It Is Very Devastating,’ Father Of Missing Nigerian Teenager In London Calls For Help – GCFRNG

 

[Number8]

suicide is talked about in greater detail than that, over this site!! If its 'triggering' then maybe its not the place for those people, its against TOS to try to moderate peoples posts is it not?

I think its a very valid theory. where has it been said that Richards parents both saw signs he was being groomed? Has that been stated in msm? link?

I thought that some people might not be aware. But if you stance is “If you dont like it you can just leave” then ok

His parents suspecting grooming has been heavily reported over the last 24 hours or so. Here’s one example: Richard Okorogheye: Mother of missing student says 'someone was waiting for him'

“Asked if she believed her son met someone online, she added: "I think so. Most definitely.” Ms Joel said he would often play on his PlayStation 5 and that she had heard him laughing and being "very happy" while talking to someone. She continued: "Definitely, he was talking to someone. Someone that he trusted and was fond of. Maybe the person gave him confidence. Somehow knew his aspirations, his interests, so he confided in that person, built confidence and trust."

 

[Number8]

When I was his age I also met people off the internet, my parent's weren't always aware. But past midnight, on the edge of a forest, in a location I'm not familiar with, with my phone in Airplane mode - No chance.

The only way I could see that working was if the initial location was agreed in W2 in a far more public location and then somehow someone has persuaded him to change that location - But eitherway I'd want my wallet and bus pass before I even left.

Not using his bus pass and putting the phone potentially in Airplane mode indicates a desire for his movements to not easily be trackable - But why - I can't figure out.

I agree with you. All together his actions are really strange and don’t really make sense. That’s why I worry he was not in his right mind. JMO.

 

[Skigh]

“Ms Joel claims he told her he was "struggling to cope" before he disappeared, sparking fears he could be suffering with depression as a result of months spent locked in his room shielding. [...]

She believes he may have been groomed by someone online who is now "holding him against his will".”

Richard Okorogheye: Missing student has chronic condition and was 'struggling to cope' with shielding, mum says

“He is a tall strong man; he enjoys talking to his friends. At a point, he got cut off from his friends. Somehow, it happened that he met some people who we were not 100% sure about.

‘It Is Very Devastating,’ Father Of Missing Nigerian Teenager In London Calls For Help – GCFRNG

He is a tall strong man; he enjoys talking to his friends. At a point, he got cut off from his friends. Somehow, it happened that he met some people who we were not 100% sure about.

“It has been very devastating. I don’t know how to describe it but it is serious. All we want to do now is how to get him back and tell us his story.


To me this sounds as though Richard has changed friendship groups .
Perhaps he had an established group of friends through school whom his parents knew and liked,but then Richard began to mix with another group and so began to distance himself from his old friendship group.I think this could have been happening before lockdown.