Found Deceased UK - Sally Allan, 59, Ponteland, Northumberland, 26 December 2015

[CoverMeCagney]

And a loose thought: with Sally's looks and her peculiar gait it would be very easy to look like her on the cctv recordings. Put on similar clothes and a wig, and walk like her in front of the cameras...

The police were very sure very early on about the route Sally took. I read somewhere else she was caught on other CCTV cameras along the way, the footage they released was the last time she was seen. I think it's likely some of the other footage proved it was her.

 

[Treelights]

It seems that someone who hikes, might well die hiking, a runner running, a swimmer, swimming and so on.
Stands to reason, that since Sally liked to walk, that she would keep walking ...

imo, speculation.

Perhaps. I am a hiker and I don't want to die hiking, though...

 

[YidArmyRach]

Perhaps. I am a hiker and I don't want to die hiking, though...

I love walking, especially on my own when its quiet. I went out tonight for a walk and it was lovely in the dark with the last of the Christmas lights on in the town.

I can imagine that someone wanting to take their own life might well make sure their family had had a nice Christmas Day to remember, then slip out to spend some time alone, making peace in their head and having a final walk along a much loved route, before finding the courage to end things.

I think I can believe that. Its the only way I can make sense of what Sally did, when she slipped out of the house at 3am.

Of course she may well have slipped in accidently, but it would be strange to do an 11 mile walk in your pyjamas, all in a direction away from your home, with apparently no way of getting back or contacting anyone for a lift. At some point, she would have ended up in daylight, in her pyjamas, encountering other people, and I can't imagine that was her plan. Just my thoughts.

 

[Treelights]

I love walking, especially on my own when its quiet. I went out tonight for a walk and it was lovely in the dark with the last of the Christmas lights on in the town.

I can imagine that someone wanting to take their own life might well make sure their family had had a nice Christmas Day to remember, then slip out to spend some time alone, making peace in their head and having a final walk along a much loved route, before finding the courage to end things.

I think I can believe that. Its the only way I can make sense of what Sally did, when she slipped out of the house at 3am.

Of course she may well have slipped in accidently, but it would be strange to do an 11 mile walk in your pyjamas, all in a direction away from your home, with apparently no way of getting back or contacting anyone for a lift. At some point, she would have ended up in daylight, in her pyjamas, encountering other people, and I can't imagine that was her plan. Just my thoughts.

On the flip side of that, if she wanted a nice Christmas Day for her family to remember, why commit suicide? Then their memories of Christmas will intertwine with her suicide (If she committed suicide.), and that's not pleasant.

It is difficult to make sense of it.

IMOO.

 

[Cherwell]

Assuming there were no issues that haven't been revealed (depression, marital problems, terminal diagnosis etc), I wonder if this could be a possibility

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-fugue

"People with dissociative fugue temporarily lose their sense of personal identity and impulsively wander or travel away from their homes or places of work. They often become confused about who they are and might even create new identities. Outwardly, people with this disorder show no signs of illness, such as a strange appearance or odd behavior ...
... A fugue in progress often is difficult for others to recognize because the person's outward behavior appears normal."

Doesn't solve the mystery of what's become of her, but might explain her actions.

 

[Gem2626]

With the suicide theory I've seen people wondering why she would walk 11 miles to jump in the river when she could have done so closer to home. I'm wondering if originally she had planned to jump off the bridge but when she got close, the city was beginning to wake up, and she didn't want to risk the higher chance of being seen.

Also, I can't pretend to understand what someone who is suicidal is thinking or feeling but committing suicide at Christmas is going to have an even bigger impact on the family left behind. I just can't imagine anyone would want to add to that pain.

There's a lot of speculating we could do but it doesn't look like any answers will come. Her poor family must be going through hell trying to piece the puzzle together.

Still hoping for a happy outcome.

 

[blefuscu]

As someone who lives in Newcastle the idea of her walking along to the Quayside to the Tyne Bridge to jump into the river isn't as crazy as some make out. The water is shallower at Newburn. If she really wanted to ensure she killed herself then jumping from the Tyne Bridge makes much more sense. I've said before in this thread that the Tyne is a tidal river and many people who jump into the Tyne from the Tyne bridge end up some way downstream. There is also a chance that her body could be snagged by something in the river and hasn't risen up yet. As a local I'm much more inclined to think she's jumped from the bridge rather than is wandering somewhere. The paths/cycle paths etc heading west to east along the river are fairly well used and if she had kept on walking and succumbed to hypothermia I would have thought her body would have been found by now.

 

[Gem2626]

As someone who lives in Newcastle the idea of her walking along to the Quayside to the Tyne Bridge to jump into the river isn't as crazy as some make out. The water is shallower at Newburn. If she really wanted to ensure she killed herself then jumping from the Tyne Bridge makes much more sense. I've said before in this thread that the Tyne is a tidal river and many people who jump into the Tyne from the Tyne bridge end up some way downstream. There is also a chance that her body could be snagged by something in the river and hasn't risen up yet. As a local I'm much more inclined to think she's jumped from the bridge rather than is wandering somewhere. The paths/cycle paths etc heading west to east along the river are fairly well used and if she had kept on walking and succumbed to hypothermia I would have thought her body would have been found by now.

Could she have reached the bridge without being seen on CCTV? I was under the impression that the police think she went over the railings rather than the bridge.

 

[Elainera]

The police were very sure very early on about the route Sally took. I read somewhere else she was caught on other CCTV cameras along the way, the footage they released was the last time she was seen. I think it's likely some of the other footage proved it was her.

And wasn't she also talking with someone? Patting their dog?

 

[bluesneakers]

Apologies if I've missed it, but do we know how high the bridge and how deep the water? Thanks.

 

[Plumeria5]

Apologies if I've missed it, but do we know how high the bridge and how deep the water? Thanks.

Bluesneakers, I am attempting to find the answers to your questions. Do we know which bridge they suspect?
Here is a link to the two bridges, the Swing Bridge and the Tyne Bridge. I will look for the depth of the water. This article says the Tyne Bridge is 26 meters to the water.

http://edwud.com/ed-okeeffe-photography/2009/06/14/swing-bridge-and-tyne-bridge-newcastle

Video of Swing Bridge:

[video=youtube;rf_w_TiNEjw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf_w_TiNEjw[/video]

 

[Treelights]

https://www.facebook.com/northumbriapolice/posts/10153367582646309

From the Northumbria Police Facebook:

Snipped By Me...

"This footage has led to our search efforts being concentrated on a small stretch of the river Tyne at the Swing Bridge."

 

[Plumeria5]

https://www.facebook.com/northumbriapolice/posts/10153367582646309

From the Northumbria Police Facebook:

Snipped By Me...

"This footage has led to our search efforts being concentrated on a small stretch of the river Tyne at the Swing Bridge."

The fourth photo in this link shows the Guild Hall.

http://www.newcastle-arts-centre.co.uk/newcastle-industrial-age.htm

 

[bluesneakers]

Bluesneakers, I am attempting to find the answers to your questions. Do we know which bridge they suspect?
Here is a link to the two bridges, the Swing Bridge and the Tyne Bridge. I will look for the depth of the water. This article says the Tyne Bridge is 26 meters to the water.

http://edwud.com/ed-okeeffe-photography/2009/06/14/swing-bridge-and-tyne-bridge-newcastle

Video of Swing Bridge:

[video=youtube;rf_w_TiNEjw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf_w_TiNEjw[/video]

Thanks for the link and video. It's different from what I imagined and not in a good way.

 

[Plumeria5]

Thanks for the link and video. It's different from what I imagined and not in a good way.

I agree and this shot shows how simple it would be to get into the water.

https://www.google.com/maps/@54.968...4!1sWWsKZ3wfYaRIseSTyRcN_g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

And the steps to get up there.

https://www.google.com/maps/@54.968...4!1sWWsKZ3wfYaRIseSTyRcN_g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

[Elainera]

This might be a stupid question, and my apologies if this is a sensitive subject, but I've been wondering, how does someone die when they go or jump into a river? Is it the impact from jumping from a high bridge and being knocked out when hitting the water? Or can people who choose this method of suicide not swim? Or do they stop themselves from swimming/ treading water/floating so they sink under? It seems very unpredictable to me whether you die or not, you could jump into the water and not die from impact and your body could start moving to stay afloat.

I have a hard time imagining it. The Tyne looks like a calm river. It doesn't look dangerous as such.

I had a friend who committed suicide by swimming out into the ocean. I have always wondered what happened once she was far out. Did she simply wait to get tired and go under? This can take a long time, no?

There seem to be other methods that would be more sure to achieve the desired result quickly. Going into a river seems to bring a lot of struggle, I would imagine. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[pinklilies]

I think with this lady having walked eleven miles already, not having much sleep that night if any at all, I think she will have already been exhausted before she entered the river, if that is what she did. From the images of the river that I've seen, once someone is in, there isn't a way to get out as it is walled all the way along. Very sad.

 

[pappa rob]

This might be a stupid question, and my apologies if this is a sensitive subject, but I've been wondering, how does someone die when they go or jump into a river? Is it the impact from jumping from a high bridge and being knocked out when hitting the water? Or can people who choose this method of suicide not swim? Or do they stop themselves from swimming/ treading water/floating so they sink under? It seems very unpredictable to me whether you die or not, you could jump into the water and not die from impact and your body could start moving to stay afloat.

I have a hard time imagining it. The Tyne looks like a calm river. It doesn't look dangerous as such.

I had a friend who committed suicide by swimming out into the ocean. I have always wondered what happened once she was far out. Did she simply wait to get tired and go under? This can take a long time, no?

There seem to be other methods that would be more sure to achieve the desired result quickly. Going into a river seems to bring a lot of struggle, I would imagine. Maybe I'm wrong.

Normally the fall would knock you out or be to injured to swim, then you'd drown. The cold water could of got to her before she could swim out of it..

 

[Missoni]

There has to be more cameras on that bridge, right? You can't have something that complex without having security cameras on there.

Maybe they do and haven't released that information, maybe that's how they're all so set on the fact that she never left the area?

 

[Elainera]

Normally the fall would knock you out or be to injured to swim, then you'd drown. The cold water could of got to her before she could swim out of it..

Right. I forgot about hypothermia. This must be a big factor.

Warm thoughts for Sally and her family.