Missing Blogger Esther Dingley

[SummerSky]

I know the Dan stands are going to shout at me for this but anyone else getting red flags that he found her? Why is this reminding me of Ian Huntley so much?

Totally!

Very suspicious. No way would her body not have been located previously with all the searching they did.

Strange how no details are given of where exactly she was. It's very vague.

 

[Pippa M]

I am sad for her parents and family and those who love her.I cant imagine any decent person inflicting this sort of fear onto a loving family. Something bad had happened but what.

 

[Queen Vic]

Thank you so much! I'm seeing a lot here that I am experiencing and am only just piecing it all together! My mind is blown. I'll check out the sources you posted. Thanks again

I

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.

I've been thinking a lot about this explanation and whereas before I was certain he had harmed her physically now I'm not so sure. There are still some aspects I cannot get past such as him 'finding' the body. I cannot think of any other case whereby a body has been found by a loved one after the official searching has taken place. I suspect that if it had happened in the UK then our authorities would be taking a very different view to that of the french/spanish police.
The news today that he has led a tribute to the authorities calling them heroes made me want to throw up. If they didn't find the body and he considers them heroes then what does he consider himself to be, seen as how he " succeeded' where they had failed. How vainglorious can one person be
The bit you mention about him speaking directly to ED in the dossier I thought sounded more like a eulogy
The other aspects that intrigue me include why was he 'searching" for her alone- surely they had hiking mates familiar with the terrain and you'd think they'd have volunteered to help just like countless people do when a person goes missing. I suspect that it was crucial for him not to be accompanied and that he may well have declined offers of help.
I'd love to know what her family think of him often in these cases they either adore them or dislike them intensely

 

[petitspois]

Interesting to see the Daily Mail still have a large piece stating he has been questioned for hours on their website despite Dan denying it. Whatever you say about that paper it knows the law inside out so knows what it’s doing.

 

[SummerSky]

Interested to know when you guys think is an acceptable time to move on to a new partner? Does it depend on relationship length? Seriousness of relationship? Age you are when your partner dies?

I feel like what you’re basically saying is you’d prefer to see a grieving person suffer alone rather than meet someone and make the most of the life they are left with.

Life is for the living not the dead. I say good luck to anyone who’s lost a partner and has a second chance at happiness. I expect they know more than most that happiness can be fleeting and life is fragile. That would be an incentive to move on and make a new life with someone else.

I don't think anyone believes people must stay single for years and suffer.

There is just a healthy procedure as follows:

- at least a year grieving. Grief takes a while...

- start to seek companionship

- date someone for about 2 yrs at least prior to marrying them.

Anything less means they were most likely having an affair prior to the loss OR may have had a hand in it.

 

[Narc ahoy]

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.

 

[SummerSky]

It would be interesting hear the Benasque mayor Ignacio Abadias’ thoughts now, given recent developments. He arguably knows the terrain better than anyone and has seen it all before. (Screengrabs from article published 3 July).

Abadias lol contradicts the case he makes by saying "if she died in a crevasse vultures would be circling and we haven't seen anything like that".

Hmmm.

So if she fell into a crevice in Pic de la Glere same deal.

Why did vultures never circle?

You might well be right. Maybe she was scared, overwhelmed, not making the best decisions (hence having to ask for food), kept her phone in flight mode so she didn't have to keep "receiving" his messages. Dan made a point of saying how amazing the phone signal was throughout that entire path eastward from Pic de Sauvegarde to Refuge de Venasque, so why did Esther keep telling him there was very bad signal. Was she trying to ward off his messages? Did flight mode cost her her life? Is he acting shifty to avoid his controlling behaviour being made public, is it his image he's trying to control? So many questions.

Yes.

Well we saw his blatantly controlling, dominating behaviour in that video on youtube. The one in which he gets all excited about the missing person.

And poor Esther hardly got a chirp in sideways and stood looking down at the ground.

So he failed.

We got to see him in full dominator mode.

 

[AlanB]

Is this possible ito him getting to her & communicating from another phone?

Burner phone/tablet issue.

If I leave my phone at home and buy a spare phone/tablet, can I log into my usual Whatsapp account via web browser from this other phone & sim card and reply to Whatsapp messages?

I imagine it's possible. Whatsapp web app relies on a QR code. So if I connect the tablet I should be able to get in.

=================================================

For me the bottom line is whether Mr. Colegate's credit card/laptop/phone has activity at the house-sit during the critical period of 22nd-25th, if it does then regardless of what some of us may think about his actions he is in the clear in my view - if not then for me he is stonewall favourite for what has happened.

People have talked about duplicating phones etc. but that would have been very difficult and besides, I'm sure Mr. Colegate would be supremely confident that once he was face to face with Ms. Dingley he could once again get her to do exactly what he wants.

I think there is now a high possibility that a troubled and emotional Ms. Dingley who wanted out of her relationship of 20 years was far less careful than she would normally be and it cost her her life. I believe her text messages were like her constant postponements of the end of her trip - trying to delay the final difficult conversation.

I do hope it wasn't suicide, because I think that would be worse, but it might be if she could see no way of extricating herself from the relationship.

 

[Johara]

Coverts

I’m sure the truth will out, but I really can’t see anything in this clip that would make me think controlling vibes.

Coverts hide that very well. That's why they're so dangerous.

They present a pleasant public face.

We have to look at their actions to get an inkling.

The guy you see there published a book this year describing the loathing they had for each other.

He also said all romance died in 2014.

Nice way to humiliate your partner - the world gets to read that.

He is a total and utter creep whatever way you look at it. Said it from the beginning and will say it until he’s exposed for what he really is.

I gather your intuition screams about him and I think you're right.

The more details released about the case, the weirder it all is. Especially the timing of her going missing on the last day. I mean what are the odds of being away for a month with no incident and them something happening to you on the last hike. I get these things can be that random though.

This clip of them is odd, his face when she is speaking in particular. I get controlling vibes from him too. Maybe she just couldn't face going back, especially if the reports are correct that he wanted to end their nomadic lifestyle.

It's easier to split from a partner amicably than to abandon your dad, mother and friends to start a new life.

If he had threatened her then that's grounds to disappear but not forever.

Imagine leaving your entire life behind just because you're in a relationship with a creep? You'd have to try live without legal ID, without credit rating, without academic qualifications, ... you'd have no money. Nothing. No way.

The more details released about the case, the weirder it all is. Especially the timing of her going missing on the last day. I mean what are the odds of being away for a month with no incident and them something happening to you on the last hike. I get these things can be that random though.

This clip of them is odd, his face when she is speaking in particular. I get controlling vibes from him too. Maybe she just couldn't face going back, especially if the reports are correct that he wanted to end their nomadic lifestyle.

Yes he almost grimaces when she speaks.

He told us in his 2020 book about the loathing and all romantic feelings having died.

 

[judgejohndeed]

Honestly it seems unfathomable to me that it wasn't him or he at the very least had something to do with it. He's written loads of stuff about hating her or resenting her etc, spoke about her in the past tense when she went missing, went off on his own search (cannot even believe that was allowed - IMO clearly tampering w evidence, hiding the body, whatever). Combined with the fact that she did lots of uncharacteristic things that day and things that an experienced hiker wouldn't do, I don't find it convincing at all that she simply went missing, committed suicide, someone else pushed her. More likely, he's so experienced hiking etc that he's managed to cover it up very well.

 

[Resting Rage Face]

"fell"

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

I suppose, I never thought about the media firm. But even just to say Esther is missing, please call this number with any information bla bla bla. Very odd to me.
There is a young man missing from my area. He's not been seen since the 19th of December. Helicopters and search teams have been out daily in all weathers. You can't go online without his face flashing up, the 'missing persons' poster is on every local website. I guess I just expected something similar on Esther's very own website she owns with her partner.

I agree, in terms of what usually happens when people go missing there is definitely a difference. Even considering the things I mentioned.

 

[PeggyHenry]

DC was adamant that she wasn’t in the mountain initially. He was convinced there had been foul play. He then searched those mountains as if adamant she WAS on the mountain. That didn’t add up to me. He was directing ‘ look over there not here’ and then he went and searched the very place he said she Wouldn’t be. Being cynical, he wanted the focus to be away from the mountains snd then he went there himself. He has always attempted to direct the narrative, whether through dossier or media. Whether innocent or not his behaviours make us suspicious.

It seems so obvious Esther was delaying her return to him. She even discussed the breakup with a fellow hiker. Yet DC dismisses this and says it is salacious gossip. How very insulting and arrogant. Why should the fellow hiker lie. It is clear all was not good between them, yet DC appears to deny this. It all seems very controlling behaviour.

 

[Agent Krycek]

Hmm yes.

You raise an interesting point wrt his being used to different telecomms systems in different countries. He'd be savvy with burner phones.

Plus the night attack. Less likelihood of people spotting him. Tidy up in the morning then hike back. Card activity covers daytime. I think you & Laurie nailed it.



Last chapter:
The boy with bowel problems transforms into a superhero who outsmarts the cops.

(Does his best to publicly humiliate the cops several times more like).

Redemption for childhood humiliation.

I'm happy to see some knowledgeable mountaineers on another site starting to raise red flags.

Neither of the 2 have ever been in the murder camp. I've been reading their posts for months. They are not the suspicious type. But finally their logical minds are hitting a wall.

I'm screenshotting one's summary for convenience. While he does not cast aspersions, his summary makes it crystal clear that Dan led the police in the wrong direction initially so their early search efforts were wasted.

I actually think there are a few posters on websleuths have been suspicious of DC for quite some time but the rules of that website are very strict about what the moderators term ‘victim blaming’ and at the moment DC is classed as a victim of the tragedy. So posters on there have to be careful what they say, but reading between the lines a few of the posters are thinking along the same lines as many people on this thread.

 

[Johara]

I've been told by a source I respect that my initial suspicions are incorrect but "someone else" killed her.

She's gone.
Someone killed her but it wasn't DC.

We need to look very hard at all the people she encountered. And the ones who live or work in the area.

I'm not going into any details regarding my source of info.

Until people who live, work or hike in the area are utterly cleared of suspicion they are all under suspicion. This is how investigations work.

Even the Spanish guy who gave her a lift has to be looked at closely.

Despite his age he's incredibly fit. See pics of him in shorts on the mountain. He earns extremely well too for a village real estate professional. Must be very sharp. Pic of him on the mountain in the snow. He's no sleepy grandpa.

The other "new friends" she made we have zero info about so we can't examine them.

We can try find out who works in these mountains or nearby. Eg at Hospice de France. The manager of the Angel Orus refuge she stayed at (Chema Grau) has a Godawful reputation on google reviews. Guests imply he has psychological issues & call him very nasty.

Btw, the French & Spanish mountain rescue teams (and their dogs) are rated in the Top 4 in the world.

As someone stated earlier, the guilty often shove themselves into the investigation. They do this to try control the direction of the investigation.

Note Mr Ballerin & Chema Grau both stepped forward early.

Mr Ballerin said she was off to France - misdirection?

Chema Grau said she seemed fine when he saw her Nov 19th. The man is described as very antisocial so why is he talking to journos?

 

[AlanB]

As I've said previously I think Mr. Colegate comes over as a person with a lot of red flags, that doesn't make him a murderer but the couple's personal circumstances that we know about and the circumstances of the case certainly don't rule him out either. One article I have read though does rule out Mr. Colegate saying that the Police have checked his whereabouts via his phone and other sources - is that true ? I thought that others have said that the Police have not investigated him or cleared him at this point ?

The first thing I would ask is how is it that the body is found near the partial skull bone and yet the police couldn't find it before one man does ? They have all the technology and canines and yet are beaten by one man. If she is not in an extremely difficult to see spot it suggests Police incompetence but otherwise it begs the question how Mr. Colegate found her ?

If I was the murderer (I'm not, honest !) I would want to find the body, it contaminates the scene so that any evidence that one was present at any point can be claimed to have occurred during the discovery.

It seems to me that accident/suicide/murder by persons known/unknown are all still on the table but I highly doubt they will come up with anything other than 'accident' unless Ms. Dingley left a note.

 

[chartilbury]

It's all possible sadly. Murder / accident by going the wrong way. It's all still up in the air. So many unanswered questions. I just hope the police and forensics are able to solve it one way or the other. I hope they don't take the easy way out and just put it down to an accident because they can't be bothered to do the hard yards. I will say, right from the get go my instincts were up about Dan. It's that gut feeling you get. And I felt it immediately when I read the headline that he was the one who found her body. I had that same feeling when I read about the murdered girl in Greece, and I had it a few weeks ago when that woman in Wales claimed her back door was open and someone had taken her son.

Without wanting to sound crass, me too! I straight away thought all those cases were suspicious. I know they say Dan’s got an alibi but they also haven’t totally ruled him out so I’m guessing perhaps they know more than they’re letting on but don’t want to say it just yet until they’ve got enough to charge him OR they’re giving him enough rope to let him finish himself off which by ‘finding’ the body he may well have just done

I agree, but the Police apparently have all the information on his cell/laptop/cc and are STILL not treating him as a suspect, allowing him to roam all over the mountains ! They clearly think he's innocent.

But if they thought he was a suspect they might not outwardly say so. They might not want to give the game away

 

[Isa Drennan]

It's too suspicious that he found her exact location before rescue teams etc couldn't

Definitely think there's more going on! Specialist teams searching the area couldn't find anything yet he could..

 

[judgejohndeed]

Wasn't there a case where a reporter realised that the neighbour was doing this exact thing and that's how it led the police to suspect him?
It seems like a huge thing to ignore, especially with all the other stuff mentioned

Yeah there's been loads, we spoke about it a bit on here before. It's a big tell. I just really don't see how any other theory is convincing tbh, there is just too much about him that doesn't seem right at all

 

[PineappleQueen19]

Huge red flag that the PR company/media agency is pushing the accident theory. Not really their conclusion to draw (even as the ‘most likely hypothesis’) and certainly not at this point in time. Talk about wanting to control the narrative - this is blatant to the point of concern.

These agencies aren’t inexpensive either