Missing Blogger Esther Dingley

[Superdude]

The location she was found in is described as "inaccessible".

That alone tells us it is most likely murder.

I noticed the French police or the journalist used the word murder for the 1st time in today's article.

"Inaccessible" kind of cancels out accidental.

No - if someone falls, accidentally, into a crevasse, then the place they land could well be inaccessible. And if it's inaccessible, how would a murderer have taken the body there?
Anyway, I truly don't know, but an accident seems a lot more likely to me.

 

[Queen Vic]

I don't think he murdered her, but I think he knows that the state of their relationship and the way things were between them were directly responsible for her being out there on her own in winter with inadequate footwear and perhaps not taking as much care as she would have normally done if she was in a better state of mind. That's why he is so over the top having to proclaim their perfect 'soul-mate' love. There would be no need to do that if it were true - he does protest too much I think! And now that he knows that Esther is unable to refute his claims, of course he can say whatever he likes now. I think the final phone call was not a happy one which is why its contents weren't made public in The Dossier when all of her other private messages were. But of course he can now say it was all about how much she loved him etc.

Another reason why I don't think he did it, is his statement in the dossier seems like parts of it were written as a message directly to her - he thought it was possible that she had left him and wanted her to come back. So he talks about how she always does the right thing, references the ups and downs of their relationship etc.

In short I don't think he murdered her, but I also think they weren't together anymore, and he did not deal with that well. But now he doesn't have to deal with it, as no-one can prove that what he says is not the reality of the situation.

Makes perfect sense and would explain a lot of his behaviour for sure but what about the missing items? How do we explain That?

I don't think he murdered her, but I think he knows that the state of their relationship and the way things were between them were directly responsible for her being out there on her own in winter with inadequate footwear and perhaps not taking as much care as she would have normally done if she was in a better state of mind. That's why he is so over the top having to proclaim their perfect 'soul-mate' love. There would be no need to do that if it were true - he does protest too much I think! And now that he knows that Esther is unable to refute his claims, of course he can say whatever he likes now. I think the final phone call was not a happy one which is why its contents weren't made public in The Dossier when all of her other private messages were. But of course he can now say it was all about how much she loved him etc.

Another reason why I don't think he did it, is his statement in the dossier seems like parts of it were written as a message directly to her - he thought it was possible that she had left him and wanted her to come back. So he talks about how she always does the right thing, references the ups and downs of their relationship etc.

In short I don't think he murdered her, but I also think they weren't together anymore, and he did not deal with that well. But now he doesn't have to deal with it, as no-one can prove that what he says is not the reality of the situation.

What I can't get past is him finding the body, I mean really.....

 

[judgejohndeed]

it was so obvious from the beginning that the husband had done it, and the same is true (for me) with this case.

Same for me. It’s not a case of ‘not liking the sound of him’ or anything like that. I find it utterly bizarre given everything we know about him and how he’s behaving that anyone can be totally convinced he’s had nothing to do with it. I wish it weren’t so, but I have no doubt unfortunately.

 

[AriaAria]

One further thought which may have made it an accident. StMarysMead went through all of this over on Websleuths and she makes perfect sense. Dan, it seems, was bombarding Esther with messages. She replied from the car-hitch-ride something like "got all your messages, sorry only responding now" or something to that effect. So what if Esther really did go east, then north, and even anticlockwise round to Port de la Glere (or however which way she got there) and did indeed switch her phone on during that journey (because that's the giveaway to me, in this day and age, no way she didn't switch her phone on), BUT what if she kept it in flight mode to keep Dan's obsessive messages away. And what if flight mode ultimately cost her her life? Maybe the reason her phone never pinged anymore (thus disclosing a better "last location" point for her) was because she was having to keep an obsessive boyfriend at bay and therefore had to keep her phone in flight mode. Remember their BBC article had just come out, so maybe she was being bombarded with messages about that. And maybe THAT'S why Dan is acting shifty, because maybe he feels he played a huge part in her death. Just a thought, but doesn't explain the other red flags with him, plus I do still lean towards the foul play scenario. She also said in a post "I think I can see you". Did she mean that literally? Did he plan to come visit her? We don't know the true meaning of that line.

 

[Agent Krycek]

I, myself, me, my…

He’s totally centred himself there. Extraordinary.

It reads like an Oscars acceptance speech!

 

[AriaAria]

@AriaAria I totally agree. He seems very narcissistic which seems a big warning sign. Also, same re his own search - I’m surprised they let him do that, what if he was hiding or moving the body etc? There’s just something very suspicious about him.

Yes agreed. And even the search that the police did - he was the one who gave them that info. He's the only one who knows her "plans", so what if he made that all up? Who knows where she was really planning to go next. And maybe he deliberately had the police search in the wrong area.

I always found it weird how he said she was meant to go stay in that refuge (the one she supposedly never made it to), yet he went and spent 2 nights there himself. Wasn't that the height of inappropriateness because couldn't he contaminate any small bit of evidence that could have potentially linked Esther to that refuge?

 

[SummerSky]

Yes I agree. Looking at the map of the likely points she could have fallen off, it makes no sense to me why she was so close to the edge. Unless she misjudged the steep fall on the French side and walked right up to it?

Well considering she wasn't dumb and was wearing shoes with worn out soles, why should we believe that she tried to summit a "very dangerous" Pic at all?

WS mountain experts Otto & R said no way she'd go up Pic de Glere. Paraphrasing.

"
That’s why, when the time is right and after a very small family service, her ashes will be scattered in the places she loved the most. She’d have done the same for me – ...
I’ve set up a fundraising page"

He wants 5,000 pounds raised for a charity.

I don't like the "very small family service" or the unbelievable schmaltz about soulmate preceding it.

Or the reference to "she'd have done the same for me".

Why the need to tell us how big or small the funeral will be?

Why add "very"? Diminishing her?

Esther loved the dogs. If you loved her so much why not raise money for her dog family?

The dogs you probably made her give away, judging by her posts about missing them so much.

 

[glynisb]

Someone from the programme “faking it” needs to study Dan Cole gate they are very good at spotting someone who is lying

 

[SummerSky]

Another great observation from O on WS:

"Dan made one pass of the Port de la Glere location even though Esther said that was her destination."

Dan made a huge show of searching for Esther.

Yet he only went near her resting place once despite her stating in text it was where she was headed.

He spents tons of time "searching" areas she'd never indicated she'd go to.

WHY?

 

[judgejohndeed]

Even though DC tries not to talk in the past tense, the way he talks about her is still the way you would talk in memory about a dead person.

I’m sure talking about missing people in the past tense is something that’s given other killers away before too - again can’t remember who though.

 

[AlanB]

Here's YET ANOTHER thing that got my back up about Mr. Colegate, he was questioned for a whole day by Police and whined that "It's tiring" - SERIOUSLY ? Your self-professed "soul mate" is missing in the mountains and you say that ?

It really pi$$ed me off when I read that...

 

[Johara]

She had a GPS. Just checked.

"Her last contact with Colegate was via a WhatsApp call on Sunday 22 November, when she indicated she was on the Pic de Sauvegarde.

“After that she put her phone on airplane mode to save the battery and there is no data use or GPS trace since then. We have no indication of whether she crossed the border"

Guardian 30 November.

Just realised flight mode was activated just after her call with DC.

Gendarmes to scale down search for British hiker Esther Dingley in Pyrenees

Chances of finding Dingley, travelling in Europe since 2014, narrow as bad weather sets in

www.theguardian.com

Same article:

He said that Colegate, also from Durham, was also searching the mountain... but was not with the rescue teams.

“He prefers to walk on his own,” the gendarme said.

I'm trying to picture myself, frantic about a loved one, telling the rescue teams that I don't want to walk with them.

I can't imagine being so rude to people trying to find someone I loved.

Can you?

 

[petitspois]

If he has done something and thinks he is so intelligent he can 'get away with it' then he's mistaken. They always are aren't they?

 

[AriaAria]

Even if it was a tragic accident, it seems Esther was trying to gently extricate herself from the relationship over time - probably extending her hiking trips to gather her courage, build her confidence (self esteem at rock bottom no doubt) to finally do it and hoping at the same time it would get him used to her not being around. Working out the steps to unpick their intertwined finances, livelihoods etc in the face of resistance from the other person without triggering their temper. And however it happened - that plan of action has one way or another led to her death. That bright, beautiful woman. And now that guy gets to speak for her memory and tell everyone who she was. Honestly my heart breaks for her.

In these situations you just have to pack a bag and fucking run. Don’t worry if he threatens to hurt himself, or says he’ll track you down and you’ll regret it. Just run. There but for the grace of god go so many of us.

God your words are haunting. And sadly very true. You're right, one way or the other it led to her death. It's so heartbreakingly sad.

 

[PineappleQueen19]

It reads like an Oscars acceptance speech!

How long until the book is published? Or he joins LB Trust as an consultant/agent (as someone with first hand experience + hiking/search skills) ? He’s planning something.

 

[Tilly3]

Im sorry if thats aimed at me. I think im going to stop contributing to this thread.

No I don’t think it’s you x

 

[PineappleQueen19]

If the killer returned her bones to the area... then why?

It was a dumb thing to do. So what motivated them?

Is there a life insurance policy?

I think more likely that her body was secreted somewhere in the mountains in the hopes that snowfall/winter would halt the search and then wild animals would do the rest, perhaps to the point of being unidentifiable, or at least unable to conclude cause of death. Equipment/clothing taken and disposed of, as it’s bright, recognisable and designed to withstand extreme weather. Also far far easier to get rid of than a body. Eg it’s unlikely anyone was combing through landfill sites for a specific tent at the time poor Esther went missing. That stuff could be anywhere by now - buried on a farm, given to refugees heading to Calais etc.

It seems to me unless there is some sort of incredible breakthrough then whoever is responsible will not be held accountable. Her poor mother. Yes having confirmation Esther is gone is one thing but still so many questions.

 

[Agent Krycek]

I really struggle with the idea of a stranger murder/abduction in Esther's case. I can't imagine the top of a mountain is a particularly common place, like you say, to go looking for someone to bump off

I think her boyfriend is suffering from 'magical thinking' where he has convinced himself that something completely unlikely has happened as his mind can't deal with the trauma of accepting she is gone.

 

[SummerSky]

Thank you for the welcome.
You're right about the lack of vultures....maybe she wasn't there.
I can't help thinking how convenient everything seems, so convenient that it has been planned to a very high degree. The shoes for example could have been put on her to make a " slip" seem almost inevitable

Yes.

No vultures - how does one achieve that?

Worn out shoes - placed on her feet after death?

There are actually 3 mountain experts on WS who question anybody sane ever summiting Pic de la Glere. Simply because it is a lot of pain for a tiny ounce of pleasure. Right next door is a nicer Pic with a better view.

He's clever yes. I'll give him that.

No vultures is quite a feat. How was that achieved?

Was she moved? How did he use the tent? It would NOT be missing unless it holds DNA. Someone said it is too fragile to hold a body. It would tear.

Was it used to mop spatter up in nearby brush after he hit her with a rock or hiking pole twice?

Was she inside the tent when attacked?

These tents are designed to insulate. No air goes out or comes in.

Thus vultures could not smell her.

He sent searchers in the wrong direction despite her text stating she was off to Porte da Glere.

He wedged her inside the tent in a gully/cave/whatever. No exact details given yet.

Claimed she was not on the mountain in interviews.

Waited for snow.

Months later tells all he's going "searching". Spends weeks staging the scene.

Places a skull fragment near a RUNNING path. Spaniard found it while running. All a tease so he could "find" the body 2 weeks later.

 

[petitspois]

Note that when the boyfriend has been ruled out (E.g with Joanna Yeates and Sarah Everard) then the police publicly state this. I don’t see they have done this here.