Missing Blogger Esther Dingley

[glynisb]

I think some women are as bad. Someone I know husband was murdered in may. By October the same year she was living with someone else with her four children. One of who was only a year old.

 

[PeggyHenry]

Everything he writes seems to speak of a troubled mind.
When she first was reported missing he speaks of the woman who helped him to be able to feel. To me, his outpouring was one from someone who already had written her off as ‘gone for ever’. I would have expected him to say things like’ we desperately need to find her’ ... or ‘she might be injured somewhere.. I’m so worried’ etc. Instead he just spoke of what a wonderful person she was. Like he’d already processed her death.
If he is guilty then it certainly fits the borderline personality disorder description.
I think the observations about Esthers comment ‘perhaps I can see you’ are interesting. I thought it an odd comment but you are right it might indicate she thought he was on his way.

 

[LaurieLaurie]

Very suspicious that he’s found her.

 

[SvenS]

If she was doing a multi day camping trip with no means of charging I can imagine she may have had the phone on airplane mode/off to conserve battery, particularly if it was her sole means of navigation.

She had a battery power pack to charge her phone with, but even so, you would probably still put it in airplane mode to conserve power.

What I can't understand, is why you wouldn't invest in something like a FindMeSpot GPS tracker. It doesn't rely on mobile phone signal, it connects directly to a satellite, pings your location at regular intervals, and has an SOS button which is equivalent to dialling 999. It's not expensive either.

 

[SvenS]

It looks like her partner was searching in the wrong place. In the The Times article, there is a screenshot of his GPS tracks. The location confused me at first, as it's google earth with south up, rather than north up. But it shows he has concentrated his search in the forest areas on the lower slopes of the French side (perhaps this was all he could do, given the winter conditions and Covid restrictions).

The more I look at this, the more I think it's just a tragic accident.

• Her partner has an alibi of phone data records and credit card use placing him at his home at the time. The police have fully ruled him out.
• She was an experienced hiker, but perhaps not a mountaineer:
  • Says "I'm on a col/peak" in a message (a col is a pass, not a peak).
  • No ice axe, crampons or rope in kit list.
  • Hiking alone, but no flares, smoke, or GPS beacon.
  • Did not inform anyone of intended route (we only know due to chance conversation).
  • Starts ascent late in the day.
  • Asks for food on the way up - should have been fully stocked up that early in trek.
  • Is unsure of the suitability of the Refuge Venasque for cold weather use "I hope it has a winter room".
  • Has to turn back due to snow and is helped off the mountain by another hiker a couple of days prior.
• The area she was found in would be a short-cut between the two mountain passes her planned route was to take in. It is dangerous terrain.

 

[AriaAria]

What if it was something like this:

They had a blazing row during the final WhatsApp call. He said unspeakable things to her in a fit of rage. Slammed the phone down. He's now boiling with rage and she's completely discombobulated, upset, flustered, crying, feeling like she's worth nothing, almost to the point of self harm (therefore not so careful with where she goes next). She goes off walking, westbound, in this state, and because she's not being careful or sensible. She climbs something she shouldn't have, almost reckless in her abandon, has a horrible accident and dies.

During all of this he is at home in France, boiling with rage, doesn't care if he hears from her or not. Could THIS be the reason he waited 3 days to call the police? Maybe he needed to calm down and for his rational brain to kick back in again before he saw sense?

Could this be the reason for his shifty behaviour with all the red flags, plus his need to control the narrative etc?

Doesn't explain the "loved" comment, the wrong search direction or him miraculously finding the body, mind you. Each one of these can be explained away, but all 3 together make it dubious imho.

We all know it doesn't add up, hence the massive interest in this case. We just don't know "why". Sadly I doubt we will ever know what truly happened.

 

[openbook1]

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

It is highly unlikely that a bear would eat Esther, even if it had attacked her. They see humans as a threat (often to their cubs), not as food.
I live in Canada, in an area with a lot of bears.

Not sure if this has been mentioned but the bf did an interview with the BBC on Dec 7, I am reading Websleuths and it stood out to people that he spoke about Esther in past tense... that is quite odd.

 

[Aliceboo]

I just wanted to say something about the PR agency, its actually a charity that helps with missing people abroad. They likely would have approached the family asking if they need any help and support.

So many things in this case just don't sit right.

An animal of some kind moved a part of her skull to another location, a location which is likely higher than where her body was found. Why? Why would an animal be solely interested in her skull, especially after so long.

What was in it for the animal? It couldn't have been food. So why would any animal expend energy on carrying a skull up a mountain? Animals are not stupid and putting this as delicately as I can, a skull would have no nutritional value after this time.

A mammal moved her skull from where her body has been for 9 months, up part of a mountain, and just happened to leave it somewhere visible. That just happens to have been instantly suspicious as being her due to the hair.

Animals usually carry things in their mouths, leaving teeth marks or some other evidence.

Murder gets mentioned for the first time after they have something that can be forensically examined.

Trying to be delicate again, I've heard vultures mentioned and that they drop bones to get at what is inside. There would have been nothing inside by that point so why would a vulture put the effort in? Can't be a mistake on the vultures part, with their super senses they would know there was no food source.

 

[petitspois]

I would like to participate in this discussion (and I'm sure others would too), but the thread is really being dominated by someone who has an unhealthy/borderline manic obsession with the case and who has clearly already made up their mind about what has happened. It doesn't really feel like there is space here for other views and it's actually getting a bit weird and disturbing even to follow it without posting.

I’d like to hear your views?

 

[Giggling Squid]

That’s because she’s at a woman’s refuge in Spain. The refuge is not allowed to divulge the names of women who seek their safety. That’s why it’s gone quite. They family have been informed though, hence no need to keep it in the public domain.

I really really hope this is true.

 

[Savannah_xx]

Hi all.

Interesting reading all your theories on what happened. I agree, something with the BF dosen't sit right with me. He seems a bit off. His wordings and actions when she was first reported missing were a bit odd, not that of a worried BF. Why did he wait 3 days? A bit long ain't it? Also what's even stranger is how can he find her yet the more experienced search team couldn't in the same area he found her??

It does seem like their relationship was coming to an end. He seems like a typical narcissist. No wonder she kept extending the trip. I seen the video of them two, poor lass couldn't barely get a word in edgeways. Him, him, him. Poor Esther, so sad! Hope her family/we get to find out what really happened.

 

[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?

I remember at the time he did "his own search" (in inverted commas because of the arrogance of it) he stayed at the Venasque Refuge. I remember being astounded by that and I still don't know why he was allowed to do that. I always wondered if he was trying to get rid of evidence that maybe she has been there? Destroy any DNA. I have no clue of course. It was just the first thing that struck me when I heard he was allowed to stay here. And wouldn't you think the police would have stopped that as he could have contaminated any evidence that might have been there? Crime scene or not, he should not have been allowed to stay there.

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

That’s because she’s at a woman’s refuge in Spain. The refuge is not allowed to divulge the names of women who seek their safety. That’s why it’s gone quite. They family have been informed though, hence no need to keep it in the public domain.

If this is the case (and I'm not saying I don't believe it. After all, it may well be true and you may have a connection to the situation that none of us do) wouldn't the refuge have disclosed this to the police? She would be recognisable with all the media interest. Surely they'd have needed to legally when it was deemed a criminal investigation?

In some ways I hope this is true. At least she is alive in this scenario.

 

[sassmaster3000]

Interesting

 

[petitspois]

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

One moment, please...

I can’t imagine how anyone would choose to do that for fun.

 

[judgejohndeed]

As I've said before, I still think he is responsible but I think he will 'get away with it' as it will be impossible to prove beyond reasonable doubt.

I agree with this too but I’m just hoping beyond hope he gets cocky, slips up and gives it away. There are way too many coincidences here and red flags about him for this to be an accident. I cannot stop thinking about the fact this man has written a book saying he hates this woman and now she’s dead.

 

[Passive_Aggressive_Lemon]

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.

 

[judgejohndeed]

He failed at an academic career (which isn't cut throat, it's quite relaxed and rewarding) so decided to phrase that as getting out of the rat race.

Not sure where you got this info from but this is not remotely true! The only stable jobs in academia are teaching, and even then the pressure is high because you still need to publish to obtain a promotion yet you have no time factored into your work hours in which to do that research. If pursuing the research route it most certainly is a rat race. Two year temp contracts with no guarantee of work after each one. Academia is most certainly not relaxed! There is also a view that if you leave academia you have ‘failed’, I know this as I myself left it to go into practice. So I imagine even if he chose to leave as opposed to being quietly elbowed out if he couldn’t keep up that would cause a huge amount of resentment, anger, and sense of failure as you said. Some people find it really hard to let it go even if they don’t want to do it anymore, it can be a really toxic culture.

Just sat and read this whole thread, absolutely loving Johara’s posts! Not 100% sure what I think yet, the partner seems dodgy - seems like too many ‘coincidences’ for me - but equally I can see how she could’ve fallen or something too.

Glad you raised that. No idea why all my posts get bunched together.

Can you advise how to write individually to each person without it gathering other posts into the mix?

If you post quite soon after your last post and nobody else has posted in between, they merge into one post unfortunately. If a certain time period has elapsed they will appear as separate posts but I don’t know exactly how long it is.

 

[petitspois]

Because it's winter and there is a lot of snow in the area where Esther disappeared - you would be asking people to risk their lives to possibly recover a body. I'm not sure why you say there should be a huge search to recover an 'English woman' surely it would be the same for a woman of any nationality? The Thai cave boys case is not a good comparison as they were all clearly alive and communicating with the rescuers.

I do agree that it is odd that there has been no further appeals by Esther's partner or by the charity that has taken on the case.

Plus, it was clear in the Thai cave situation where they were and that they were obviously trapped. It's still possible that Esther might have disappeared of her own volition.

I think it's very odd indeed that the family are so quiet. The news articles and general press they received before she went missing would make it a popular story for news outlets so, personally, I am assuming the silence is due to something more complex.

 

[mickeycat]

It's a weird one. I spent a year living in St Gaudens when I was a student in the 90s. I also grew up -and still live- on the edge of the Cairngorms. Anyone who has spent any time in the Pyrenees can see how easily an accident can happen and for a body not to be found for a long time. And that does happen here in Scotland too.
On the other hand there are just too many other strange aspects to this case (or what parts we know of it) that don't smell right. I can only assume the professionals know more than they're letting on and hope that it will all come out in the end.