It tells you all you need to know.
Personal Statement by Esther’s Partner, Dan Colegate
Esther is simply the best person I’ve ever met. She is kind, generous, compassionate, intelligent and creative. She wears her heart on her sleeve and always sees the best in others.
There is a reason Esther has a first class Oxford degree and represented Great Britain as a junior rower, among her many other material achievements that came from her determination and resourcefulness. Yet none of those achievements are the reason I love her so much. The real reason, the one that drew me in almost 19 years ago and sustained us both through the ups and downs of any normal relationship, is her unwavering goodness and commitment to doing what she feels is right.
It is true that once Esther sets her mind to a goal she will move mountains to make it happen, but that has always remained secondary to her commitment to helping those in need and leaving the world she touches a better place. We can never finish a hike without her pockets bulging with litter she’s picked up, she won’t pass a stranger without smiling, and every decision Esther makes is governed by a powerful moral code.
Since Esther went missing I have been lost in a world that no longer makes sense to me. Every aspect of my life and the future I dream of includes Esther. We have built a life that focuses on being a team, where ‘home’ is wherever we are together, and where nothing matters as long as we have each other. Spending occasional times apart, to pursue separate goals, recharge and intensify the pleasure of being together, is part of that for us. Seeing Esther happy in the mountains, expanding her boundaries and discovering more about herself makes me happier than I can describe.
I never imagined that one day she would not come home. Many times we had discussed how we would grow old together and take slow walks reflecting on the adventures of our youth. The pain of her disappearance is excruciating, but even that pales into insignificance against the pain of not knowing what’s happened to her. It’s crippling. The nightmares. The constant questioning. The helplessness.
Until Esther is found I have to continue to hold on to the hope that she can come home safely.
If anybody has any information, no matter how insignificant it might seem, or if they know anybody who was in the area at the time, who may have been working outdoors, hunting, walking, hiking or cycling, please, please contact the LBT Global Hotline. Information can be provided anonymously and passed on to the police in this way.
LBT Global Hotline: +44 (0) 800 098 8485
WhatsApp: +44 (0) 7545 826 497
Email:
[email protected]