Missing Blogger Esther Dingley

[Shutterbug99]

It read as fact so it may have been best to put that it was speculation in the original post as it is quite unfair to people to say things as if they are the absolute truth when really you have no idea (despite how much you belive to be true) if I was in a refuge the last thing I'd want is for people to be sharing that I was in a refuge. I know there are no details and it's not a fact but if I was trying to get away from someone I wouldn't want any one to give that person ideas or places I may be it may make sense as to why there is such nothingness but I don't want to lead people to her door if she doesn't want to be found (I'd like to think this could be true!!)

It was pretty much stated as fact and I think a lot of people read it as such. Glad the poster returned to clear things up!

 

[LaurieLaurie]

Well unless DC was using his credit card and phone all day long on all of those days, then of course he could have driven to where she was, especially if she slept back at the Cabane de la Besurta the night of the 22nd, and maybe something happened the following morning. Then he went back and started using his phone and credit card again. It was only 100 miles away. Maybe they arranged to meet at that Cabane during the phonecall on the 22nd as he could drive right up to that spot that night. If her phone was off there would be no more pinging & he could easily have left his back home. Now personally I don't think this happened, but my point is, it's ridiculous to say he can't have had access to her because he used his phone and credit card those days. He would have had to have been on them every hour of every day to ascertain that. 100 miles is only a 1.5 hour drive. He's controlling this narrative way too much and is making himself look as guilty as sin. I don't know why he is doing this. Look at Caroline Crouch's husband. Everyone thought he was innocent too. He was there at her funeral all snivelling and it was only then they arrested him. I wouldn't be surprised there's some suicide note on her phone, written by him, and the whole thing gets passed off as suicide.

Ahhh. He could have traveled to her late at night and been back by morning.

 

[Tilly3]

It’s usually the ones that are unhappy that feel they have to put a different picture of their life out there for all to see, sad.

 

[Superdude]

I don't think Dan sounds like a great guy to be in a relationship with, but I also know (sadly from personal experience) how often people die in accidents while hill walking / mountain climbing. And the body not being found immediately isn't a great mystery, given the time of year. However, who knows? I hope the police are able to gather enough evidence to confirm how she died, and whether anyone else was involved.

 

[Bellaboo83]

I'm so glad to see this thread! I've been following the story since it broke and something very strange is definitely going on.

THe partner said the reasoning for her wanting to go on this trip was that they realised they'd not spent any time apart this year... I know people's relationships are different and quirky and that they had been together a long time but I've never looked at a partner of mine and said we've not spent any time apart this year and I think we should!

And as mentioned above the reporting on it is very weird. Going over the same points, focusing on abstract things, it's definitely like they know more and are hinting as they do, but what could they know that they wouldn't just print (papers don't usually care much when it comes to printing what they like.... Unless there is an injunction or some foreign laws they need to respect). I read the article about their relationship not being as it seemed and they repeated that over and over throughout which made me think there is something they were wanting to get across subliminally along that line of theory..

It was a clear day, she had plenty of time to get down before dark, she was experienced and had all the right equipment, they've said the route wasn't particularly dangerous with anywhere to fall and if there was a freak accident they would have expected to have found her by now. So for me it all points to either she has removed herself and doesn't want to be found, or someone has removed her and doesn't want her to be found...

And finally the bear theory... I just can't. I don't know much about bears but I doubt it would have eaten her trainers and rucksack too

 

[What's your point]

Whilst we're in the midst of this void of information I thought I'd mention what the "sleuths" are saying over on a well known board. One simply stated that Esther has/had asperger's syndrome, bizarrely, even though they cleaned up the thread they left this post (and a couple more). In fact the admin announced that " Members are not qualified to diagnose anyone", I'm not sure how they "know" this! The most bizarre post though must go the poster who postulated that Esther could have " Perished in her Sleep due to Hypothermia while bivoacing ", clearly the poster doesn't think much of the eyesight of the rescue services nor the quality of the dogs used!

Admin over on Wsleuths are appalling, some people can post whatever they want and others are given time out for nothing (I have had a fair few timeouts myself and I wasnt even acting twatty at all).

Some of the members are a bit bonkers as well, used to love it but drives me bonkers now and threads just go around in circles and get more and more ridiculous as time goes on (Delphi thread is one of these).

 

[judgejohndeed]

I find it inconceivable that many people would stay hidden this long knowing their families will be besides themselves thinking they're dead. To let her parents go through this for so long is indefensible to me, if she'd fled, there would be nothing anyone could do to bring her back so she could've told them just days later. Him 'resuming his search' for some reason makes me think he's returning to the scene of his own crime, he seemed like he was obsessed previously and is just as obsessed now

 

[AriaAria]

is there a possibility he knew he needed to 'find her' so that if forensics placed his DNA at the scene, he could reasonably explain why it was there?

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.

 

[Shadwells]

WHY don't the Police have his phone or computer ??? How is that possible ? If he is not giving them these then that is beyond suspicious...

I agree with you and have for some time, the bottom line is that it seems the Police have NOT ruled him out as a suspect and at this stage I think that is remarkable.

It hasn't been, to date, anything other than a missing person inquiry so the cops don't have power to demand kit. The NY Times reported the PR group supporting Dan as follows: "An investigation remains ongoing, the group said, although it did not specify which authorities were involved". Source here.

In other words, the cops haven't yet decided if it is sufficiently suspicious to merit a criminal investigation. UK cops in particular will need to investigate per the coroners inquiry which will follow the repatriation of Ethers's body to UK. NB: Cops will be interested in why Dan does not appear to be being honest about the nature of the relationship, Esther's abrupt departure to a lay-by and her then staying away for a month. They will also want to know why he was so confident ED would return on 25th, to the point where he left it 3 days to report her missing. Another NB: if Esther had an accident, it is perfectly possible she was alive for a considerable period of time.

See, the 'keep you posted when can thing' does imply that the communication may have been blotchy at times even if it was daily
Plus, assuming the environment is full of mountains I really cannot imagine cellular signal would be too good, especially in snowy conditions

I imagine he may have been concerned, but if he did not know her route that well and it was totally possible that she was fine the next bet is to wait for her to show up as planned?
Also, if they travel frequently there is that to add to the context. If I go missing it's a lot more concerning than someone who should have some experience with this sort of stuff

if she had an accident in -2 degrees then, ask around, it is not competent for DC and ED not to have been crystal clear about her route. Waiting 3 days to report a climber lost in sub zero Pyrenees isn't a 'second-best bet' - it would be life threateningly idiotic. If it was totally possible she was fine then it was also totally possible that she was dying on the hill. Which, it turns out, she was.

See, the 'keep you posted when can thing' does imply that the communication may have been blotchy at times even if it was daily
Plus, assuming the environment is full of mountains I really cannot imagine cellular signal would be too good, especially in snowy conditions

I imagine he may have been concerned, but if he did not know her route that well and it was totally possible that she was fine the next bet is to wait for her to show up as planned?
Also, if they travel frequently there is that to add to the context. If I go missing it's a lot more concerning than someone who should have some experience with this sort of stuff

Esther was missing in sub-zero temperateres, last known to be at height in the Pyrenees mountains. That Dan didn't know her route is bad enough; that he waited 3 days to report her missing is - on its face - idiotic, not a 'second-best bet'. It is perfectly possible she died because of that delay. Imagine this response by a seasoned hillwalker to the cops. '1. I didn't think to ask her route. 2. Then I was worried that she hadn't contacted me and was in sub-zero temperatures in the Pyrenees, and may have had an accident, but left it 3 days before reporting my fears.' You can either allow that Dan is experienced and sensible, or that he was incredibly stupid and lack any safety awareness - but you can't can't allow both. There may, of course, be other underpinning reasoning for Dan's words and actions altogether.

 

[PeggyHenry]

Yes I really want to hear everyone’s views... because time and time again people’s comments can throw a new light on things.

I hadn’t thought anything much about the dogs until now. I know something about scent tracking as have 2 spaniels and they had training with a police dog handler. But I had thought that the snow in the peaks would have hampered these searches...

 

[SummerSky]

Her boots were new in September 2020, apparently. But worn down with the hiking she had done since then. She was foolish not to wear better footwear.

Esther wasn't a foolish woman. She was intelligent and an experienced hiker.

This is why we don't believe the narrative. Her corpse was most likely staged.

 

[Bellaboo83]

Couple of things on my mind.

The tent could definitely have been discarded because it was too heavy (if she was injured or disoriented) or it could have been lost in a fall.

With regards to the inaccessible location she was found, could it be a concealed deep cravasse she has fallen into due to a covering of snow or undergrowth? Or maybe a little cave she took shelter in after realising she was not as close as she thought to where she was headed or too injured and wanted to be safe away from animals and cold for the night (and didn't have the tent she had hypothetically dumped previously)

It really sounds to me like she has tried to take a short cut. Was the hostel ever confirmed as open that night and was the location of her body on a route (not necessarily a known path) back home or to the hostel or is it completely off any plausible route and in the complete wilderness?

The skull bone should definitely have markings on to say which animal has moved it, so the absence of that would be thought provoking

I was previously thinking the BF had a hand in it until this fresh info has come out and now I'm leaning very much towards an accident or incident where she has ended up lost, injured and/or disorientated and in an inhospitable environment.

Just one other thing I can't get my head around is why are the daily mail moderating comments? Is this usual? I still notice they are letting through the ones pointing the finger at Dan so for what purpose is the moderation?

 

[kev1974]

I think they’ve come from Websleuths. Right at the beginning of the thread a prolific poster explained they had come here from WS and had told others to do the same.

The tone of posts is very different from the usual tattle ones but very interesting all the same.

ok that's cool. I'm hyper aware of how social media *and forums* can be heavily manipulated these days, and I'm pretty suspicious of the true motives of this "LBT Global" organisation, is all.

 

[I'm not a robot]

So, those that don't think she has been harmed by DC, what are your thoughts?

I'm leaning toward an accident. I am open minded to a stranger attack. I don't think she has harmed herself.

I too don't think there is enough to suggest Dc is involved (although he may be, but the 'evidence' so far is a stretch, to say the least). I personally think she has had an accident of some kind, not necessarily fatal, maybe even a head injury causing concussion/amnesia.

 

[SvenS]

Ok, this is Scotland, not Spain... But it's a good description of what tackling a ridge traverse would be like:

Traversing the Cuillin Ridge – Samuel Smith

thisissamsmith.com

 

[Rhona]

Johara although I can see how you have come to your opinions I have to say I don’t agree with a lot of them. For one I have just looked at a post on the E&D page about a family wedding which appears to show both D’s parents & wider family including 3 brothers.

 

[openbook1]

Just seen a news story that says she may not be found for five years as they suspect she slipped on a part of the mountain which was icy ... may sound dumb here but why can’t they go and search that area then? Rather than leave her surely a big search team and all the equipment would be safe?

Mm.... often people missing on mountains aren't looked for, for very long. They often rely on the fact that someone hiking will find them. It can be hard to get a body out of the snow/down from the mountain. Really quite grim.

 

[LaurieLaurie]

I thought it was strange that they hadn’t found any of her belongings.

 

[Johara]

I had completely forgotten about websleuths! I’ve been over for a nose, it’s been a while.
This is definitely a strange one, and I’m really not sure what to make of it

WS rules forbid members to speculate about missing peoples' partners so I'm amazed Koko got to see something before mods erased it. Their mods are gestapo-like.

I'm getting Chris Watts vibes. I wish it wasn't the case.

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

What did he do?

He inserted himself in the middle of all the media interest in Jessica Holly's disappearance and gave interviews to the press stating his partner might have been the last one to see the girls and how devastated he was. He also organised various search teams etc. He was on the news a lot and that behaviour (along with other stuff) flagged him up the end to investigators.

Yes it’s fascinating isn’t it! I’m sure I read they always put the main suspect on TV as well to see how they react and I’m pretty sure that’s how they found another murderer although I’m afraid which one it was escapes me at the moment. Their body language on screen often gives it away.

This is a very common investigative technique and there will always be a body language expert on hand when a family of a missing person does a televised appeal. The Tia Sharp case is one example where this was helpful in identifying a suspect, as is the case of the six children who died in a fire in Derby.