More than seven weeks after going missing, student nurse Owami Davies was located in Hampshire, according to the Metropolitan Police, who made the announcement after Scotland Yard said they had received reports of 118 sightings.
Miss Davies, 24, was last seen on July 7 heading north down London Road in Croydon. Three days earlier, she had left her mother’s house in Grays, Essex, saying she was going to the gym.
She was discovered on July 6 while waiting for a companion in Clarendon Road, Croydon, dozing in a doorway. She assured the Metropolitan Police officers that she did not need their assistance and walked away.
Miss Davies’ family had reported her missing, but the police database hadn’t yet listed her as missing at the time.
Detectives said yesterday that the student nurse may be sleeping on the streets since she has no bank cards or phone service and no money on her Oyster card. The Met said that this was one working theory and added that police were maintaining an open mind to all scenarios.
Officers searched through roughly 120 reports of sightings of Miss Davies, 24, and were having trouble finding her despite the arrests of five persons and several requests for information. She was located as a result of the 118th complaint, which was submitted at 10:30 this morning in response to a public media appeal.
The police’s Specialist Crime Command’s Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Penney said today: “This is obviously the conclusion we were expecting for the discovery of the missing woman, Owami Davies.
Student nurse Owami Davies, who has been found ‘safe and well’ in Hampshire
Student nurse Owami Davies, found ‘safe and well’ in Hampshire
The Met Police confirmed officers spoke to Miss Davies in Croydon two days after she went missing on July 6,
Missing student nurse Owami Davies (pictured), 24, has been found in Hampshire, in a fit and well condition
Owami’s whereabouts were a mystery for over six weeks
Owami Davies, a missing 24-year-old student nurse, was discovered in Hampshire in good health.
“I’d like to announce she’s been discovered safe and sound outside the London region in the county of Hampshire and she’s presently with specialized police from my team,” the statement said.
She seems to be in excellent condition, is secure, and is not now in the vulnerable situation that we were lead to think she was in at the beginning of her abduction, he said.
The inquiry will now be examined in its entirety, according to Met Commander Paul Brogden, to see if there are any lessons to be learned from how it was handled.
Mr. Penney and Mr. Brogden both expressed their ‘ecstasy’ at the case’s conclusion, and the Met Commander said, “More significantly, I’m glad for Owami’s mother and her brother.”
Owami was last seen in Croydon on July 7, with this CCTV image showing her walking north on London Road shortly after midday
On July 7, Owami was last seen in Croydon, and this surveillance photo shows her heading north on London Road just after noon.
Two persons were detained on suspicion of murder and three others on suspicion of kidnapping in connection with her disappearance, but police claimed there was no proof that she had been harmed.
Police announced today that all five of the suspects were freed and remain on police bail. A decision about what will happen next will be made after a “complete debrief,” the police said.
How the police’s search for missing Owami Davies has progressed
– On July 4, Miss Davies departs from her Grays, Essex, home while informing her mother that she is going to the gym.
– July 6: Her family notifies Essex Police that she is missing.
A woman’s wellbeing is a worry, so the Metropolitan Police are summoned to an address on Clarendon Road in Croydon. Officers arrive, consult with the lady, and dial the London Ambulance Service. Before the ambulance service can arrive, she informs them she does not want their assistance and leaves the house.
At the time, Miss Davies was not listed as missing on the police database, and it wasn’t until the Met’s missing person inquiry that they were able to identify the lady as the 24-year-old.
– July 7: Miss Davies was last seen on Derby Road in West Croydon, south London, shortly after midnight.
– On July 11, Essex Police decide to launch a proactive media appeal after conducting an investigation.
– July 16: The force issues a second appeal, which it distributes three days later on Facebook.
– July 23: After discovering that a significant portion of Miss Davies’s location enquiries had been in London, the case is formally handed over from Essex Police to the Metropolitan Police.
– July 31: Three weeks after she vanished, The Met Police make their first plea for information on her whereabouts.
– August 1: In connection with the inquiry, the police detains two individuals, ages 23 and 27, in the Croydon area on suspicion of murder.
– On August 2, a third man, 32, is detained at a South Croydon house on suspicion of murder.
– August 3: Miss Davies’ mother Nicol Davies makes an appeal to the public, pleading with them to come forward if they have heard of, seen, or otherwise come into contact with her. She said her daughter was “very happy,” had approximately two months remaining to finish her studies, and had just landed a job with Guy’s and St Thomas’. She was speaking at New Scotland Yard. A 22-year-old male is detained at a Croydon house on the same day on suspicion of murder.
– On August 5, the Metropolitan Police Service refers a matter involving officers’ interactions with Owami Davies in Croydon on July 6 to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
– On August 6, police detain a 27-year-old male on suspicion of kidnapping, making their sixth arrest of the day.
– August 9: The Met Police provide an update on the investigation and state that investigators have investigated homes and parks, seen hundreds of hours of CCTV, and made in-depth door-to-door enquiries. The police department also confirms that the five males who were detained as part of the inquiry have been freed on bail.
– On August 16, Scotland Yard published a new appeal stating that Miss Davies may be “around the neighborhood and in need of assistance.”
– August 18: According to a tweet from British Transport Police (BTP), the 24-year-old may still often board trains, may seem disoriented or confused, and may be attempting to talk to ladies who are traveling alone. “Owami has been depressed and in the absence of her medicine may use alcohol to treat her depression,” the Metropolitan Police stated in a statement.
– August 20: The Metropolitan Police have informed the media that on July 6, their officers had contact with Miss Davies at the house on Clarendon Road, Croydon. The IOPC also acknowledges that it has received a referral on the issue, is reviewing the evidence, and is determining if further action is necessary.
– According to the Met Police, there is “no sign that she has been harmed,” and investigators “remain optimistic that we will discover her alive and well.” They suggest that she may be living on the streets. She is verified to have no remaining funds on her Oyster card, which she uses to pay on public transportation, and she is also unable to use her phone or bank cards.
– On August 23, Hampshire police discover Owami alive and well.
