Missing Blogger Esther Dingley #2

[PeggyHenry]

Yes, it can’t be ignored that the hiker reported to the authorities that days before she disappeared’Esther said they were taking a break and didn't know if they were going to get back together again.

'When you're not 100 per cent okay with your partner, you're not going to be totally balanced emotionally.’
This was in media reports and there is no reason to believe the witness made it up.

Later DC is stated as referring to this as salacious nonsense. So we have a clear discrepancy between a witness report and DC’s account.
The authorities will have taken this into account.

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

I tend to agree with most of what you are saying (i.e. it is highly unlikely that Mr. Colegate is involved in her death) but the statement above is just factually inaccurate - there is a ton of evidence that not only was the relationship dysfunctional but it was highly possible that it was coming to an end - including a witness who has stated as much shortly before her death !

It's been a while since I read the Facebook posts so there may well be things relating to their relationship I haven't remembered but I think some of the comments they made about their relationship have been misinterpreted. They were both quite open about having had difficulties both personally and within the relationship but that doesn't mean they were on the verge of separating.

I've always taken the comment from the witness with a pinch of salt. Mainly because it was reported differently in various different news articles and that along with potential for things to be mixed up in translation it's never really been clear what she actually meant by what was said.

 

[LaurieLaurie]

Why do people on here call him Mr. Colegate like he’s important? He’s a prick.

 

[PeggyHenry]

Many wonder why DC took three days to report her missing. But if the relationship was in difficulty and there was a separation then this may have played a part. He may have thought she was keeping quiet and not wanting to be communicative.. however this doesn’t add up if there were no relationship problems, as DC says. So many contradictory factors.. no wonder some cannot believe it was a straightforward accident.
It does appear that, when he can, DC likes to control the narrative to an alarming degree.

 

[BestWishes]

The theories on here are mad.

The bloke didn't do it. He literally has an alibi. His card was used in several places and you can bet your bottom dollar they have CCTV to back his whereabouts up.

From a very small amount of info, some people have decided he's controlling, she's being abused, she's running away. There is no evidence they were unhappy except for a blog relating to something that happened ten years ago when the poor sod nearly died. It must have been an absolutely horrific time for both of them.

The pseudo psychology on here is beyond. There seems to be a lot of projecting.
The circumstances are very sad but realistically she had an accident. Her tent (if she had it with her) was probably ripped to shreds and has long since disintegrated.

Also forensic anthrologists are highly qualified. They would be able to tell if she died from anything other than an accident or if the bones had been moved.

The gendarmes said from the beginning that the relationship was not as Dan describes, that there were problems. They made clear you can’t trust Colgate’s statements. I believe the police. They don’t usually say stuff like that. It makes me look closely at everything he says and doesn’t say. That wasn’t the only time they did that.
Maybe a forensic person is not able to tell if Dan moved the skull with hair and placed it next to the trail. Maybe that’s difficult.
There is something very wrong with Colegate. You can tell from the way he treats Esther in videos. He made a statement about finding the remains that was all about him. Nothing about Esther. Narcissist.

 

[sassmaster3000]

The gendarmes said from the beginning that the relationship was not as Dan describes, that there were problems. They made clear you can’t trust Colgate’s statements. I believe the police. They don’t usually say stuff like that. It makes me look closely at everything he says and doesn’t say. That wasn’t the only time they did that.
Maybe a forensic person is not able to tell if Dan moved the skull with hair and placed it next to the trail. Maybe that’s difficult.
There is something very wrong with Colegate. You can tell from the way he treats Esther in videos. He made a statement about finding the remains that was all about him. Nothing about Esther. Narcissist.

Doesn’t make him a murderer though

 

[PineappleQueen19]

Of course it doesn’t make him a murderer.
The point is that when men murder their partners it is extremely likely that it is an escalation (to varying degrees) of behaviour. This is well documented. So posts about his behaviour and how he treated Esther are relevant to speculation about Esther’s death.

And even when deaths are officially explained, people can still have doubts that are later proved correct. Look at Ian Bailey, the guy is on trial for killing his first wife Diane Stewart and at the time it was put down as epilepsy. Her family always had doubts but were dismissed until he went on to kill his wealthy fiancée.

Dan is a bouquet of red flags, has been for a long time it seems, so there’s going to be a higher degree of speculation around someone who behaves like that. The lack of a smoking gun doesn’t make the speculation misplaced

 

[AlanB]

It's been a while since I read the Facebook posts so there may well be things relating to their relationship I haven't remembered but I think some of the comments they made about their relationship have been misinterpreted. They were both quite open about having had difficulties both personally and within the relationship but that doesn't mean they were on the verge of separating.

I've always taken the comment from the witness with a pinch of salt. Mainly because it was reported differently in various different news articles and that along with potential for things to be mixed up in translation it's never really been clear what she actually meant by what was said.

Well, I have NO IDEA why you are taking her opinion with a “pinch of salt”, her statement cannot be misinterpreted - she reported it to the Police as part of a missing person investigation, not a situation where you might make a speculative comment. It has been reported and has NEVER been withdrawn. The Police outside of this also say the relationship was not as described on social media. Yet somehow you come with the view that there was “no evidence” that they were not happy ! You are not Mr. Colegate by any chance?

When you take into account her previous comments and actions in leaving the house-sit and then continually extending her time away most of the evidence on their relationship points towards a dysfunctional one and a soon to be ending scenario.

EDIT: I call him Mr. Colegate because I think that is the correct way to address a man you don’t know personally, I certainly wouldn’t be friends with him given the information that has come out…

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

Well, I have NO IDEA why you are taking her opinion with a “pinch of salt”, her statement cannot be misinterpreted - she reported it to the Police as part of a missing person investigation, not a situation where you might make a speculative comment. It has been reported and has NEVER been withdrawn. The Police outside of this also say the relationship was not as described on social media. Yet somehow you come with the view that there was “no evidence” that they were not happy ! You are not Mr. Colegate by any chance?

When you take into account her previous comments and actions in leaving the house-sit and then continually extending her time away most of the evidence on their relationship points towards a dysfunctional one and a soon to be ending scenario.

EDIT: I call him Mr. Colegate because I think that is the correct way to address a man you don’t know personally, I certainly wouldn’t be friends with him given the information that has come out…

I've seen her statement reported in various different ways by various different media outlets. That's why I take it with a pinch of salt. When it was first printed it was more a comment that they were hoping to reunite soon but were not sure when. It then appeared to be embellished with extra details added on. Therefore I personally have never been sure exactly which part was factual and which was embroidered by media.

The police comments about their relationship not being what it seemed or something were interesting but they were never really elaborated on so it makes it easy to fill in the blanks, potentially erroneously (or not, of course).

I'm not sure if their actual relationship was dysfunctional. From the posts I read at the time (their blog and her Facebook) I thought it seemed more that they had both been through a lot and were struggling to find happiness in themselves rather than within the relationship itself. I got the impression that whilst being in each other's company 24/7 could be challenging (it would be for anyone), that they enjoyed individual pursuits to give them the space needed. I view that as being a sensible and mature thing to do, not something that's a red flag. I feel a lot of things he says/does could be percieved in two ways, one negative, one more positive.

However even if they were likely to separate, I find the leap from him talking over her in a video meaning he's absolutely being controlling in their relationship and had bugged her phone and controlled what she ate, a stretch too far. There is no solid evidence for that at all.

There's a lot of assumptions and judgements being made about someone from what is realistically a very limited amount of knowledge (although to be fair the same could be said for the majority of cases similar to this). He's spent the best part of a year not knowing what happened to his long term partner but realising she was probably dead. Even if things had been difficult between them it's still an enormous loss for someone to cope with. I think some of the way he has conducted himself could be considered unusual but he's likely to not really be thinking straight.

It is of course only my opinion

 

[Cheapseats]

I've seen her statement reported in various different ways by various different media outlets. That's why I take it with a pinch of salt. When it was first printed it was more a comment that they were hoping to reunite soon but were not sure when. It then appeared to be embellished with extra details added on. Therefore I personally have never been sure exactly which part was factual and which was embroidered by media.

The police comments about their relationship not being what it seemed or something were interesting but they were never really elaborated on so it makes it easy to fill in the blanks, potentially erroneously (or not, of course).

I'm not sure if their actual relationship was dysfunctional. From the posts I read at the time (their blog and her Facebook) I thought it seemed more that they had both been through a lot and were struggling to find happiness in themselves rather than within the relationship itself. I got the impression that whilst being in each other's company 24/7 could be challenging (it would be for anyone), that they enjoyed individual pursuits to give them the space needed. I view that as being a sensible and mature thing to do, not something that's a red flag. I feel a lot of things he says/does could be percieved in two ways, one negative, one more positive.

However even if they were likely to separate, I find the leap from him talking over her in a video meaning he's absolutely being controlling in their relationship and had bugged her phone and controlled what she ate, a stretch too far. There is no solid evidence for that at all.

There's a lot of assumptions and judgements being made about someone from what is realistically a very limited amount of knowledge (although to be fair the same could be said for the majority of cases similar to this). He's spent the best part of a year not knowing what happened to his long term partner but realising she was probably dead. Even if things had been difficult between them it's still an enormous loss for someone to cope with. I think some of the way he has conducted himself could be considered unusual but he's likely to not really be thinking straight.

It is of course only my opinion

Who said bugging her phone ? He may have put the software on with her full knowledge and consent. My windows PC has a remote desktop facility which I have turned off but it's useful kit sometimes and not necessarily used for bad purpose. I dont think Microsoft have put on remote desktop capability for bad purposes but I accept that I wouldn't trust everyone to have remote access to my pc

 

[AlanB]

Well, even if I were to agree with you (which I definitely don’t) that doesn’t amount to no evidence, there is a ton of evidence of varying degrees of strength that you choose to discount, which is your prerogative but a very different thing.

Please provide a link to Laura Adomaityte’s statement that has been reported more ambiguously - it has never been reported differently here and I have never seen it so I am open to this if it in fact exists.
This is what I see everywhere :
———————————-
“Fellow hiker, Laura Adomaityte, who met Dingley in a shelter several days before her disappearance, told The Times that the 37-year-old British woman told her she was "taking a break" from Colegate and "didn't know if they were going to get back together again."
————————————
Let’s see what you have.

Edit: I forgot to staff the link for this - just one of many :

The story behind the disappearance and death of hiker Esther Dingley, who vanished on a solo mountain trek

Esther Dingley, an experienced hiker and blogger, went missing in November 2020 while on a solo trek in the Pyrenees mountains, on the French-Spain border.

www.google.com

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

Well, even if I were to agree with you (which I definitely don’t) that doesn’t amount to no evidence, there is a ton of evidence of varying degrees of strength that you choose to discount, which is your prerogative but a very different thing.

Please provide a link to Laura Adomaityte’s statement that has been reported more ambiguously - it has never been reported differently here and I have never seen it so I am open to this if it in fact exists.
This is what I see everywhere :
———————————-
“Fellow hiker, Laura Adomaityte, who met Dingley in a shelter several days before her disappearance, told The Times that the 37-year-old British woman told her she was "taking a break" from Colegate and "didn't know if they were going to get back together again."
————————————
Let’s see what you have.

Edit: I forgot to staff the link for this - just one of many :

The story behind the disappearance and death of hiker Esther Dingley, who vanished on a solo mountain trek

Esther Dingley, an experienced hiker and blogger, went missing in November 2020 while on a solo trek in the Pyrenees mountains, on the French-Spain border.

www.google.com

Ooh I like a challenge .
I've had a brief look and you're right her words are fairly consistent. Although different articles have different tones. Some have a longer version of her statement for instance and are more generalised whereas others seem to focus on the relationship difficulty aspect.

It's been ages since I read the articles I'm referring to though, it was at the time she first went missing, so it's entirely possible I've just blended various witness accounts and tones of articles.
This lady seems sure there were difficulties of some sort. Although it's hard to know for certain without having literally been there if that was exactly what was meant by it or if some was assumption on her part.
However, maybe Esther was having doubts that Dan didn't know about? Or perhaps he felt frustrated that people thinking she had run off would delay the search for her in some way and felt that denying there was a problem would be the best thing to do?

I still disagree that there is actual evidence of him doing things to control her though. The things he says and does can be interpreted in different ways. The way someone interprets his words and actions is opinion only. It's not discounting evidence, it's just a difference of opinion.

I'll give an example and include a reply to what somebody asked about bugging the phone.
Someone made reference to him setting her phone up and from that it was decided that he did that to control her and to be able to place a tracking app on there (this is what I meant by bugging her phone). Maybe she found setting up a phone boring and he was happy to do it? Why does it have to be a negative thing?

Similarly comments about him controlling what she ate because they ate bigger meals when he was with her. Couldn't it also be because maybe he enjoyed cooking more or he encouraged her to eat well? Why does it have to be assumed as something negative about him?

I just feel sad for him, as I would for anyone in the same situation. He has been cleared of any involvement, in fact I don't think he was ever an official suspect in the first place, yet his words and actions, some of which are years old, are being picked apart. It just seems unjust I suppose. He's a victim in all this too. I doubt he reads here but can you imagine if you were him and you read some of the things that have been said here? It could destroy a person completely.

That said, I do realise this is a gossip forum and people are here to debate stuff and give opinions. That's the whole point of the website obviously!

I think I'd feel differently if the circumstances were such that there was cause to believe he could be involved but there isn't in this case.

 

[Superdude]

Yes, I don't see how he could be involved. A difficult relationship perhaps, and a tragic accident. The two don't need to be connected. I do believe the French police investigate thoroughly and both his alibi and forensic evidence will be examined. No one wants a murderer to go free, but wild tales of transporting a body around mountain peaks, in winter and without a vehicle, aren't at all convincing, to me anyway!

 

[AlanB]

Ooh I like a challenge .
I've had a brief look and you're right her words are fairly consistent. Although different articles have different tones. Some have a longer version of her statement for instance and are more generalised whereas others seem to focus on the relationship difficulty aspect.

It's been ages since I read the articles I'm referring to though, it was at the time she first went missing, so it's entirely possible I've just blended various witness accounts and tones of articles.
This lady seems sure there were difficulties of some sort. Although it's hard to know for certain without having literally been there if that was exactly what was meant by it or if some was assumption on her part.
However, maybe Esther was having doubts that Dan didn't know about? Or perhaps he felt frustrated that people thinking she had run off would delay the search for her in some way and felt that denying there was a problem would be the best thing to do?

I still disagree that there is actual evidence of him doing things to control her though. The things he says and does can be interpreted in different ways. The way someone interprets his words and actions is opinion only. It's not discounting evidence, it's just a difference of opinion.

I'll give an example and include a reply to what somebody asked about bugging the phone.
Someone made reference to him setting her phone up and from that it was decided that he did that to control her and to be able to place a tracking app on there (this is what I meant by bugging her phone). Maybe she found setting up a phone boring and he was happy to do it? Why does it have to be a negative thing?

Similarly comments about him controlling what she ate because they ate bigger meals when he was with her. Couldn't it also be because maybe he enjoyed cooking more or he encouraged her to eat well? Why does it have to be assumed as something negative about him?

I just feel sad for him, as I would for anyone in the same situation. He has been cleared of any involvement, in fact I don't think he was ever an official suspect in the first place, yet his words and actions, some of which are years old, are being picked apart. It just seems unjust I suppose. He's a victim in all this too. I doubt he reads here but can you imagine if you were him and you read some of the things that have been said here? It could destroy a person completely.

That said, I do realise this is a gossip forum and people are here to debate stuff and give opinions. That's the whole point of the website obviously!

I think I'd feel differently if the circumstances were such that there was cause to believe he could be involved but there isn't in this case.

So challenge was accepted and failed !

You are bringing up a lot of stuff that I didn’t query - all I have said is there is very strong evidence that the relationship was not nearly as idyllic as Mr. Colegate was claiming and I think that is clear.

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

So challenge was accepted and failed !

You are bringing up a lot of stuff that I didn’t query - all I have said is there is very strong evidence that the relationship was not nearly as idyllic as Mr. Colegate was claiming and I think that is clear.

Yeah sorry, I felt the need to go wider to fully explain my point of view. It made more sense that way.

I wouldn't say failed. I prefer researched and agreed with your findings .
I did find reporting differences in the way her statement was presented though, which is clearly what my point of view has been influenced by but you were indeed correct that her statement itself remained the same and is suggestive of relationship difficulties. Always happy to admit when I'm incorrect about something.

 

[AlanB]

Yeah sorry, I felt the need to go wider to fully explain my point of view. It made more sense that way.

I wouldn't say failed. I prefer researched and agreed with your findings .
I did find reporting differences in the way her statement was presented though, which is clearly what my point of view has been influenced by but you were indeed correct that her statement itself remained the same and is suggestive of relationship difficulties. Always happy to admit when I'm incorrect about something.

Fair enough.

 

[The_Investigator]

Well, even if I were to agree with you (which I definitely don’t) that doesn’t amount to no evidence, there is a ton of evidence of varying degrees of strength that you choose to discount, which is your prerogative but a very different thing.

Please provide a link to Laura Adomaityte’s statement that has been reported more ambiguously - it has never been reported differently here and I have never seen it so I am open to this if it in fact exists.
This is what I see everywhere :
———————————-
“Fellow hiker, Laura Adomaityte, who met Dingley in a shelter several days before her disappearance, told The Times that the 37-year-old British woman told her she was "taking a break" from Colegate and "didn't know if they were going to get back together again."
————————————
Let’s see what you have.

Edit: I forgot to staff the link for this - just one of many :

The story behind the disappearance and death of hiker Esther Dingley, who vanished on a solo mountain trek

Esther Dingley, an experienced hiker and blogger, went missing in November 2020 while on a solo trek in the Pyrenees mountains, on the French-Spain border.

www.google.com

Excellently put AlanB, was just going to post the same Times quote.

Ooh I like a challenge .
I've had a brief look and you're right her words are fairly consistent. Although different articles have different tones. Some have a longer version of her statement for instance and are more generalised whereas others seem to focus on the relationship difficulty aspect.

It's been ages since I read the articles I'm referring to though, it was at the time she first went missing, so it's entirely possible I've just blended various witness accounts and tones of articles.
This lady seems sure there were difficulties of some sort. Although it's hard to know for certain without having literally been there if that was exactly what was meant by it or if some was assumption on her part.
However, maybe Esther was having doubts that Dan didn't know about? Or perhaps he felt frustrated that people thinking she had run off would delay the search for her in some way and felt that denying there was a problem would be the best thing to do?

I still disagree that there is actual evidence of him doing things to control her though. The things he says and does can be interpreted in different ways. The way someone interprets his words and actions is opinion only. It's not discounting evidence, it's just a difference of opinion.

I'll give an example and include a reply to what somebody asked about bugging the phone.
Someone made reference to him setting her phone up and from that it was decided that he did that to control her and to be able to place a tracking app on there (this is what I meant by bugging her phone). Maybe she found setting up a phone boring and he was happy to do it? Why does it have to be a negative thing?

Similarly comments about him controlling what she ate because they ate bigger meals when he was with her. Couldn't it also be because maybe he enjoyed cooking more or he encouraged her to eat well? Why does it have to be assumed as something negative about him?

I just feel sad for him, as I would for anyone in the same situation. He has been cleared of any involvement, in fact I don't think he was ever an official suspect in the first place, yet his words and actions, some of which are years old, are being picked apart. It just seems unjust I suppose. He's a victim in all this too. I doubt he reads here but can you imagine if you were him and you read some of the things that have been said here? It could destroy a person completely.

That said, I do realise this is a gossip forum and people are here to debate stuff and give opinions. That's the whole point of the website obviously!

I think I'd feel differently if the circumstances were such that there was cause to believe he could be involved but there isn't in this case.

Oh come off it,… no sign of her for 8 months, bones with convenient dna attached turn up on a path,. Apparently life insurance won’t pay without evidence of death. police say they suspect murder if they don’t find the body now,.. he discovers the body, to get them off his back.. yeh,…loads of people get away with murder and evidence or facts are worked out years and years later,.. but with social media,. I.e. places like this site, tattle.life,.. hundreds of people can work together to figure it all out rather than just a few police with loads of other pressing cases to solve,.. we have the time and more resources.

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

Excellently put AlanB, was just going to post the same Times quote.


Oh come off it,… no sign of her for 8 months, bones with convenient dna attached turn up on a path,. Apparently life insurance won’t pay without evidence of death. police say they suspect murder if they don’t find the body now,.. he discovers the body, to get them off his back.. yeh,…

He has an alibi. He didn't do it.
Convenient DNA? What the heck. I think I'm just going to laugh and shake my head at this point.
The majority of life insurance policies have clauses in for 'risky sporting activities'. I'd argue it might not pay out in this case anyway.

 

[Black cat wisdom]

New to Tattle.life but have been following discussions on this thread for a couple of months now. Among many other things, since it's just come up, I have long queried the credit card use alibi for DC. These guys were staying (I think?) in a rural location, presumably with fairly limited amenities (I could well be wrong there though) in a lockdown, and appeared to have limited funds. I just question how realistic several credit card transactions would be in such a combination of conditions, unless perhaps they were remote payments, in which case how useful are they as an alibi? Of course we don't know everything the police know, but it seems just a little flimsy, or convenient, or manufactured, to me...

 

[PeggyHenry]

Well is there a source for it being reported he had credit card payments as an alibi? Where and when exactly did this get reported? Not disputing it but have never read this anywhere.
we don’t know what transport was at his disposal…
He may be perfectly innocent. He may be guilty but there will not be evidence available.
Where is the tent and any other missing items? I can’t help but feel that this was not a straightforward accident.