Found Deceased UK - Samantha Eastwood, 28, Stoke-on-Trent, 27 July 2018 *Arrest*

[Shiressleuth]

I've only been able to find this about the holiday "82-year-old Doreen Nixon, said Mr and Mrs Stirling went on holiday 'on Friday'." I'm sure I read of another stating that the box was put on the car Thursday and thought they were going on holiday. I don't see how they would have had time to go anywhere. Friday was the day she disappeared and police were seeking cctv footage from between 9 and 11 near the grandmother's house, Saturday he was searching with JP, and Sunday he was arrested for kidnap. Where in that time could they have went on holiday?

The Peak district National Park area is only about 15 miles east and the Welsh border about 40 miles west so maybe they didn't go very far if they like camping.

 

[JosieJo]

I'm new to Websleuths, I've read on and off for years but this case prompted me to join.
I really think there is a possibility here this case was very much premeditated . I think he could have prepared the ground for disposal in advance with a plan to leave the house looking as if a kidnap had occurred while burying her then going straight on holiday (probably Whitby)
What he did not bank on in my opinion was that SE had confided in a colleague.
Motive I feel most likely she spurned his advances while working at the house or they had had a short affair and he did not want it public
Its really awful to think but imho it's possible he left her in a shallow grave to die then left for his holiday. It's possible the murder was planned around the holiday
So awful for her family

 

[JosieJo]

That after Samantha's relationship breakup with John Peake, Michael Stirling became infatuated/obsessed with the thought of Samantha living as a single woman alone. And perhaps even fantasising that she is now single because she has an interest in him.

Taking the theory further, Samantha would inadvertently have given him reason to think she felt something for him by getting him around to build the summer house, which was simply a genuine job she innocently asked someone she knew to help her with. Stirling then sees her everyday and continues to build a fantasy in his head that she has feelings for him. At some point, he tries to make a pass and declare his interest/passion. (This has happened to me with builders. Very embarrassing and awkward forever after.) She will have been surprised and rejected him outright - he's her ex s-i-l's husband./QUOTE]

This is very much what I feel

 

[Flowers32]

I'm new to Websleuths, I've read on and off for years but this case prompted me to join.
I really think there is a possibility here this case was very much premeditated . I think he could have prepared the ground for disposal in advance with a plan to leave the house looking as if a kidnap had occurred while burying her then going straight on holiday (probably Whitby)
What he did not bank on in my opinion was that SE had confided in a colleague.
Motive I feel most likely she spurned his advances while working at the house or they had had a short affair and he did not want it public
Its really awful to think but imho it's possible he left her in a shallow grave to die then left for his holiday. It's possible the murder was planned around the holiday
So awful for her family

Regarding pre-meditation - Surely his intelligence couldn’t be so low? Either that of he couldn’t be of sound mind, thinking he’d get away with it.

He’d be aware of all the evidence / media shared, forensics, numberplate ID etc ?

 

[JosieJo]

I agree he would be pretty nieve but the lack of physical injury in relation to death does not shout heat of the moment
The CCTV they looked at was linked to him ..ie them having known to look at him and he may have thought no one knew about whatever had gone on between them .

 

[Yozzer]

Crazy thought, was SE in that box?

If so that would suggest premeditation as didn't neighbours say it was on his car roof on Thursday?

 

[Mellowmelly]

If so that would suggest premeditation as didn't neighbours say it was on his car roof on Thursday?

That thought did cross my mind too, it could well have been premeditated.

 

[JosieJo]

That thought did cross my mind too, it could well have been premeditated.

I feel this too ..holidays during 6 weeks school holidays are not usually spur of the moment due to availability, cost, getting time off work etc

 

[Cherwell]

Well - we don't know if they actually were going on holiday as the only source seems to be a neighbour who may just have assumed it.
We don't know that it was "spur of the moment".
And holidays don't always have to be booked, not if you are going to stay with family somewhere, or go camping.

 

[Yozzer]

I agree he would be pretty nieve but the lack of physical injury in relation to death does not shout heat of the moment
The CCTV they looked at was linked to him ..ie them having known to look at him and he may have thought no one knew about whatever had gone on between them.

I'm not sure we know the full extent of her injuries yet, just that she wasn't stabbed or shot. It's possible the police are keeping their powder dry on the nature of the assault. He was naive to make threats and not think SE would share this with someone but I think some men are surprised at how much women will share with each other

 

[Shiressleuth]

I'm new to Websleuths, I've read on and off for years but this case prompted me to join.
I really think there is a possibility here this case was very much premeditated . I think he could have prepared the ground for disposal in advance with a plan to leave the house looking as if a kidnap had occurred while burying her then going straight on holiday (probably Whitby)
What he did not bank on in my opinion was that SE had confided in a colleague.
Motive I feel most likely she spurned his advances while working at the house or they had had a short affair and he did not want it public
Its really awful to think but imho it's possible he left her in a shallow grave to die then left for his holiday. It's possible the murder was planned around the holiday
So awful for her family

Welcome JJ. Why Whitby? I noticed the Stoke Sentinel mentioned SE had a connection to Whitby. Good timeline in here too.

Samantha Eastwood: Timeline of everything we know as man charged with murder

 

[JosieJo]

Well - we don't know if they actually were going on holiday as the only source seems to be a neighbour who may just have assumed it.
We don't know that it was "spur of the moment".
And holidays don't always have to be booked, not if you are going to stay with family somewhere, or go camping.

I agree we don't "know" anything they are just my thoughts as stated

 

[Yozzer]

This is from the Telegraph 5/8:
Body found as police search disused quarry for missing midwife
Looks like they were on to the quarry location quite quickly. Presumably 9-11pm on the night of the murder was a period when MS's whereabouts could not be accounted for. There has been some confusion on here about whether 9-11 was reported as am or pm but in this article, pm is stated twice so for me, this is a pretty reliable source. I had concerns about am because it didn't fit with the scream overhead at 2pm.

Police are understood to be investigating whether the midwife was taken to a hideaway in a vehicle on Friday night. They are thought to be are focusing specifically on a two hour time frame between 9pm-11pm on the day she vanished.
Nigel Potts, a farmer who lives close to the quarry at New Hall Farm, one of only six homes along the mile long single track Tick Hill Lane, revealed police were hoping to recover CCTV footage from his home and neighbouring properties covering those key hours.
He said: “Officers first came to visit on Thursday afternoon and were inquiring if I had any film from the Friday 9-11pm. They said they were focusing on those two hours and were looking for a vehicle.

 

[JosieJo]

I'm not sure we know the full extent of her injuries yet, just that she wasn't stabbed or shot. It's possible the police are keeping their powder dry on the nature of the assault. He was naive to make threats and not think SE would share this with someone.

I just feel that it's a fair assumption that there's no obvious injury if it's going to take months to examine her neck in relation to strangulation.. a spur of the moment attack strong enough to cause death would "most likely" leave a more obvious sign of course Jmo
I'm also struggling with the theory that he just wanted to frighten her ..to tape her and kidnap her is some frightening ..and again he would have to be pretty nieve to think she would not report it to police..

 

[JosieJo]

Welcome JJ. Why Whitby? I noticed the Stoke Sentinel mentioned SE had a connection to Whitby. Good timeline in here too.

Samantha Eastwood: Timeline of everything we know as man charged with murder

Thank you for the welcome

I only feel Whitby because it would fit with the reported police activity there

 

[Shiressleuth]

Thank you for the welcome

I only feel Whitby because it would fit with the reported police activity there

Apparently police originally thought she may have gone to the Whitby area because she had holidayed there earlier in the year.

 

[Armchair_Defective]

Regarding pre-meditation - Surely his intelligence couldn’t be so low? Either that of he couldn’t be of sound mind, thinking he’d get away with it.

He’d be aware of all the evidence / media shared, forensics, numberplate ID etc ?

I think this points at it being spur of the moment, nothing planned and then he had to quickly try and cover what he had done.

With the non obvious cause of death I'm starting to feel he may have tried to sexually assault her and she suffocated. This happens quite often when for instance a man abducts a child due to him being physically stronger and trying to subdue the child.

 

[truthfinder34]

I can't make my mind up about it being premeditated. The timing of the alleged holiday would suggest this but the police were pretty hot on his case suggesting he didn't cover his tracks very well. It's been reported he was working at the property two weeks prior to the murder which I take as the falling out was fairly recently. If he was planning to murder SE surely he would of waited a little longer so he wasn't the prime suspect. This leads me to think this was a heat of the moment murder or argument gone too far. The masking tape is still a mystery to me. If it was to cover her face to avoid looking at her and what he had done, he would of had to get up close and look at her directly to apply this, surely the duvet cover would of been quicker?!

 

[Yozzer]

I just feel that it's a fair assumption that there's no obvious injury if it's going to take months to examine her neck in relation to strangulation.. a spur of the moment attack strong enough to cause death would "most likely" leave a more obvious sign of course Jmo
I'm also struggling with the theory that he just wanted to frighten her ..to tape her and kidnap her is some frightening ..and again he would have to be pretty nieve to think she would not report it to police..

Welcome Josie-Jo. All assumptions are welcome on this website as indicated by the web administrator recently! I was thinking of other less visible injuries rather than c.o.d. which might point to a motive or one of his motives. Who knows what was going on his deranged mind. I don't 'know' he was deranged of course but I can fairly assume this from his actions.

 

[JosieJo]

Welcome Josie-Jo. All assumptions are welcome on this website as indicated by the web administrator recently! I was thinking of other less visible injuries rather than c.o.d. which might point to a motive or one of his motives. Who knows what was going on his deranged mind. I don't 'know' he was deranged of course but I can fairly assume this from his actions.

Thank you

Its certainly a thought provoking case