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{{Short description|Disappearance and death of a British hiker in the Pyrenees}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Esther Dingley
| name = Esther Dingley
Line 16: Line 18:
| known_for = Hiking around Europe and blogging
| known_for = Hiking around Europe and blogging
| notable_works =
| notable_works =
| disappeared_date = {{Disappeared date|2020|11|22}} (age 37)
| disappeared_date = {{Disappeared date|2020|11|22|df=y}} (age 37)
| disappeared_place = [[Pic de Sauvegarde|Pic de Sauvegarde, France]]
| disappeared_place = [[Pic de Sauvegarde]], France
}}
}}


[[File:Benasque_(Huesca).jpg | thumb |267x267px| [[Benasque]], the last place where Esther Dingley was seen]]
'''Esther Dingley''' was a British woman who disappeared while hiking in the [[Pyrenees]] in November 2020.<ref name=guardian-uk-woman-esther-dingley-who-has-travelled-europe-for-six-years-goes-missing-pyrenees>{{Cite news|title=UK woman who has travelled Europe for six years goes missing in Pyrenees|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/29/uk-woman-esther-dingley-who-has-travelled-europe-for-six-years-goes-missing-pyrenees|last=Parveen|first=Nazia|date=29 November 2020|access-date=15 December 2020|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref name=bbc-esther-dingley-missing-briton-was-experienced-hiker>{{Cite news|title=Esther Dingley: Missing Briton was 'experienced hiker and loved life'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-55307787|date=15 December 2020|access-date=16 December 2020|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> On 23 July, 2021, part of her skull was found near a track by mountain runners. On 9 August 2021, her partner Daniel Colegate found her other remains.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/08/10/body-missing-british-hiker-esther-dingley-discovered-boyfriend/|title = Body of missing British hiker Esther Dingley discovered by boyfriend|newspaper = The Telegraph|date = 10 August 2021|last1 = Lyons|first1 = Izzy|last2 = Rosman|first2 = Rebecca}}</ref>
'''Esther Dingley''' was a British woman who disappeared in November 2020 while hiking in the [[Pyrenees]].<ref name=guardian-uk-woman-esther-dingley-who-has-travelled-europe-for-six-years-goes-missing-pyrenees>{{Cite news|title=UK woman who has travelled Europe for six years goes missing in Pyrenees|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/29/uk-woman-esther-dingley-who-has-travelled-europe-for-six-years-goes-missing-pyrenees|last=Parveen|first=Nazia|date=29 November 2020|access-date=15 December 2020|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref name=bbc-esther-dingley-missing-briton-was-experienced-hiker>{{Cite news|title=Esther Dingley: Missing Briton was 'experienced hiker and loved life'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-55307787|date=15 December 2020|access-date=16 December 2020|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> On 23 July 2021, part of Dingley's skull was found near a track by mountain runners. On 9 August of that same year, her partner Daniel Colegate found her other remains.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/08/10/body-missing-british-hiker-esther-dingley-discovered-boyfriend/|title = Body of missing British hiker Esther Dingley discovered by boyfriend|newspaper = The Telegraph|date = 10 August 2021|last1 = Lyons|first1 = Izzy|last2 = Rosman|first2 = Rebecca}}</ref>


==Background==
==Background==
Dingley and her partner Dan Colegate, met while students at [[Wadham College, Oxford]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=wadhamoxford|url=https://twitter.com/wadhamoxford/status/1422131404075409408|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-12|website=Twitter|language=en}}{{Better source needed|reason=Citation is Twitter - which is NOT A RELIABLE source|date=August 2021}}</ref> They began hiking around Europe in 2014, living in a campervan and recording their experiences in a blog. They started their journey after Colegate had depression and Dingley chronic fatigue, they had cancelled their wedding and Colegate had nearly died from [[necrotising fasciitis]] which he had contracted during surgery.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/necrotising-fasciitis/|title=Necrotising fasciitis|date=October 19, 2017|website=nhs.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://al-khaleejtoday.net/international/5416056/%E2%80%98Life-started-when-I-almost-died%E2%80%99-the-couple-who-left-everything.html|title='Life started when I almost died': the couple who left everything...|date=November 23, 2020|website=AlKhaleej Today}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/british-hiker-esther-dingley-may-have-deliberately-gone-missing-to-retain-nomadic-lifestyle-rdwb8lg3k|title=Esther Dingley 'may have deliberately gone missing to retain nomadic lifestyle'|first=David Brown &#124; Adam Sage, Paris &#124; Lucinda Elliott|last=Madrid|via=www.thetimes.co.uk}}</ref> On the day of Dingley's last known communication, which was with Colegate on 22 November, the lifestyle of the two had been profiled on the front page of the BBC News website.<ref name=bbc-van-life>{{Cite news|title=Van life: Durham couple's six years on the road (and counting)|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-54842438|last=Leatherdale|first=Duncan|date=22 November 2020|access-date=15 December 2020|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> The BBC story, written while Dingley had left on a journey alone, includes a contemporary interview with Colegate, who was [[house-sitting]] in France, and Dingley, via a remote video link from the couple's campervan. Other articles about their trip and lifestyle appeared about the same time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/18842825.durham-couple-launch-book-series-inspired-european-adventure/|title=Durham couple launch book series inspired by van adventure with five dogs|website=The Northern Echo}}</ref> At Colegate and Dingley's website, where Colegate's self-published books can be purchased, Colegate said he was in charge of publicity for the pair.
Esther Dingley and her partner, Dan Colegate, met as students at [[Wadham College, Oxford]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=wadhamoxford|url=https://twitter.com/wadhamoxford/status/1422131404075409408|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-12|website=Twitter|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802094534/https://twitter.com/wadhamoxford/status/1422131404075409408 |archive-date=2021-08-02 }}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=Citation is Twitter - which is NOT A RELIABLE source|date=August 2021}} They began hiking around Europe in 2014, living in a campervan and recording their experiences in a blog. Both partners were dealing with severe health problems: Colegate had [[depression (mood)|depression]] and had nearly died from [[necrotising fasciitis]] he had contracted during surgery, while Dingley had [[chronic fatigue syndrome]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/necrotising-fasciitis/|title=Necrotising fasciitis|date=October 19, 2017|website=nhs.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://al-khaleejtoday.net/international/5416056/%E2%80%98Life-started-when-I-almost-died%E2%80%99-the-couple-who-left-everything.html|title='Life started when I almost died': the couple who left everything...|date=November 23, 2020|website=AlKhaleej Today}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/british-hiker-esther-dingley-may-have-deliberately-gone-missing-to-retain-nomadic-lifestyle-rdwb8lg3k|title=Esther Dingley 'may have deliberately gone missing to retain nomadic lifestyle'|first=David Brown &#124; Adam Sage, Paris &#124; Lucinda Elliott|last=Madrid|date=21 June 2023 |via=www.thetimes.co.uk}}</ref>
On the day of Dingley's last known communication, which was with Colegate on 22 November, the couple had been profiled on the front page of the [[BBC News]] website.<ref name=bbc-van-life>{{Cite news|title=Van life: Durham couple's six years on the road (and counting)|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-54842438|last=Leatherdale|first=Duncan|date=22 November 2020|access-date=15 December 2020|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> The BBC story, written while Dingley had left on a solo hiking trip, includes a contemporary interview with Colegate, who was [[house-sitting]] at a farmhouse in France, and Dingley, via a remote video link from the couple's campervan. Other articles about their trip and lifestyle appeared on other news sites around the same time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/18842825.durham-couple-launch-book-series-inspired-european-adventure/|title=Durham couple launch book series inspired by van adventure with five dogs|website=The Northern Echo|date=4 November 2020 }}</ref>


==Disappearance==
==Disappearance==
Dingley and Colegate completed an 80-day unbroken hiking trek through the Alps on the Via Alpina in late October.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Information Pack Regarding The Disappearance of Esther Dingley from the Pyrenees mountains in November 2020 |url=https://42cc80b7-be3b-41e3-a85b-18b664074b2b.filesusr.com/ugd/4addd9_d8c55b489c6f445b96d6324dd882f5a1.pdf |access-date=2021-08-12 |website=LBT Global Hotline}}</ref> They took up temporary residence in a borrowed gite in Gascony. Six days later, Dingley decided at short notice to set off on a solo trip in the campervan.
Dingley and Colegate completed an 80-day unbroken hiking trek through the [[Alps]] on the [[Via Alpina]] on 4 October 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Information Pack Regarding The Disappearance of Esther Dingley from the Pyrenees mountains in November 2020 |url=https://42cc80b7-be3b-41e3-a85b-18b664074b2b.filesusr.com/ugd/4addd9_d8c55b489c6f445b96d6324dd882f5a1.pdf |access-date=2021-08-12 |website=LBT Global Hotline}}</ref> After a further ten days travelling in their campervan, the couple took up temporary residence in a borrowed [[gîte]] in [[Gascony]]. On 22 October, Dingley set off on a solo trip in the campervan.


On 21 November, Dingley set off from Benasque in Spain for a multi-day hike. On 22 November at around 4pm, Dingley sent Colegate short text messages via WhatsApp while on top of [[Pic de Sauvegarde]].<ref name=guardian-uk-woman-esther-dingley-who-has-travelled-europe-for-six-years-goes-missing-pyrenees/> Colegate then made a video-call to Dingley lasting around 90 seconds. She planned to spend the night in [http://www.refuge-venasque.fr/ Refuge Vénasque] in France.<ref name=guardian-uk-woman-esther-dingley-who-has-travelled-europe-for-six-years-goes-missing-pyrenees/> It is not clear whether she did, in fact, spend the night there. Three days later, on 25 Nov, Dingley was reported missing by Colegate, who said this was the day Dingley was due to return to the gite in Gascony from her solo trip. Dingley is not known to have communicated with anyone else during these three days.<ref name=bbc-missing-hiker-search-off-until-weather-improves>{{Cite news/sandbox|title=Esther Dingley: Missing hiker search 'off until weather improves'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-55261142|date=10 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref name=independent-missing-hiker-esther-dingley-pyrenees-search-disappearance>{{Cite news|title=Esther Dingley: Search for missing British hiker halted due to bad weather|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/missing-hiker-esther-dingley-pyrenees-search-disappearance-b1766812.html|last=Stubley|first=Peter|date=5 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020|work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref><ref name=bbc-esther-dingley-missing-briton-was-experienced-hiker/> Colegate says that for the period Dingley was solo travelling, he stayed 100 miles away at the borrowed gite in [[Gascony]].<ref name=guardian-uk-woman-esther-dingley-who-has-travelled-europe-for-six-years-goes-missing-pyrenees/>
On 21 November, Dingley set off from [[Benasque]], [[Huesca]], Spain, for a multi-day hike. On 22 November at around 4pm, she sent Colegate short text messages via [[WhatsApp]] from the summit of the [[Pic de Sauvegarde]], a {{convert|2737|m|adj=on}} mountain in the [[Pyrenees]].<ref name=guardian-uk-woman-esther-dingley-who-has-travelled-europe-for-six-years-goes-missing-pyrenees/> Colegate then made a video-call to Dingley lasting around 90 seconds. She planned to spend the night at the ''[[:fr:Refuge de Vénasque]]'', an unstaffed mountain refuge nearby, but it is not clear whether she did so.<ref name=guardian-uk-woman-esther-dingley-who-has-travelled-europe-for-six-years-goes-missing-pyrenees/> Three days later, on 25 November, Colegate reported Dingley [[missing person|missing]] after she failed to return from her solo trip. She is not known to have communicated with anyone during these three days.<ref name=bbc-missing-hiker-search-off-until-weather-improves>{{Cite news|title=Esther Dingley: Missing hiker search 'off until weather improves'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-55261142|date=10 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref name=independent-missing-hiker-esther-dingley-pyrenees-search-disappearance>{{Cite news|title=Esther Dingley: Search for missing British hiker halted due to bad weather|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/missing-hiker-esther-dingley-pyrenees-search-disappearance-b1766812.html|last=Stubley|first=Peter|date=5 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020|work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref><ref name=bbc-esther-dingley-missing-briton-was-experienced-hiker/>


The Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne confirmed that they were searching for Dingley.<ref name=guardian-uk-woman-esther-dingley-who-has-travelled-europe-for-six-years-goes-missing-pyrenees/> Search teams and a helicopter were deployed to the search.<ref name=bbc-esther-dingley-search-six-teams>{{Cite news|title=Esther Dingley search: Six teams look for her in Pyrenees|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-55125301|date=29 November 2020|access-date=15 December 2020|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> Colegate went to [[Luchon]] to take part in the search for Dingley.<ref name=bbc-esther-dingley-search-six-teams/>
The ''[[:fr:Unités de montagne de la Gendarmerie nationale|peloton de gendarmerie de haute montagne]]'' (PGHM) confirmed that they were searching for Dingley, which involved search teams and a helicopter.<ref name=guardian-uk-woman-esther-dingley-who-has-travelled-europe-for-six-years-goes-missing-pyrenees/><ref name=bbc-esther-dingley-search-six-teams>{{Cite news|title=Esther Dingley search: Six teams look for her in Pyrenees|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-55125301|date=29 November 2020|access-date=15 December 2020|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> Colegate travelled to Bagnères-de-Luchon to take part in the search.<ref name=bbc-esther-dingley-search-six-teams/> However, in early December 2020, authorities announced that the search had halted due to heavy snow.<ref name=bbc-missing-hiker-search-off-until-weather-improves/><ref name=independent-missing-hiker-esther-dingley-pyrenees-search-disappearance/>


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In February 2021, Colegate said that he was convinced that Dingley had been taken "against her will" and that "somebody else was involved".<ref name=bbc-esther-dingley-missing-hiker-taken-against-will>{{Cite news|title=Esther Dingley: Missing hiker 'taken against will'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-55917394|date=3 February 2021|access-date=23 April 2021|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> He also suggested that Dingley might have been killed by hunters.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boyfriend-fears-missing-hiker-esther-dingley-was-attacked-by-armed-hunters-z5phjnm57|title=Boyfriend fears missing hiker Esther Dingley was attacked by hunters|first=David Brown &#124; Adam Sage|last=Paris|date=21 June 2023 |via=www.thetimes.co.uk}}</ref>
A witness claimed to have seen someone sleeping in the camper van belonging to Dingley ten days after she disappeared. This claim was later dismissed by the Spanish Police as a light was left on by them by mistake after searching in the camper.<ref name=nzherald-missing-hiker-esther-dingleys-campervan-spotted-with-someone-sleeping-inside>{{Cite news|title=Missing hiker Esther Dingley's campervan 'spotted with someone sleeping inside'|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/missing-hiker-esther-dingleys-campervan-spotted-with-someone-sleeping-inside/7CJO74ENOEYJVQWGBPRXZB7YXM/|date=11 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]}}</ref>


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In spring and early summer 2021, the physical search for Dingley in the Pyrenees was resumed by both Colegate alone and by the French and Spanish authorities.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-04-26|title=Esther Dingley: Missing hiker's boyfriend resumes search alone|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-56887828|access-date=2021-04-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-57483101|title=Esther Dingley: Police search for missing British hiker resumes|work=BBC News|date=June 15, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2021/06/15/police-in-spain-resume-search-for-british-hiker-esther-dingley-as-snow-thaws-in-pyrenees/|title=Police in Spain resume search for British hiker Esther Dingley as snow thaws in Pyrenees|author=Staff Reporter|date=June 15, 2021}}</ref>
In early December 2020, authorities announced that the search had halted due to heavy snow.<ref name=bbc-missing-hiker-search-off-until-weather-improves/><ref name=independent-missing-hiker-esther-dingley-pyrenees-search-disappearance/>


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Colegate is being represented by the crisis support organisation LBT Global.<ref name=bbc-esther-dingley-missing-briton-was-experienced-hiker/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://onthewight.com/family-step-away-from-lucie-blackman-trust-which-rebrands-as-lbt-global/|title=Family step away from Lucie Blackman Trust, which rebrands as LBT Global|date=November 10, 2020|website=Isle of Wight News from OnTheWight}}</ref>
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In February 2021, Colegate said that he was convinced that Dingley was "taken against her will" and that "someone was involved".<ref name=bbc-esther-dingley-missing-hiker-taken-against-will>{{Cite news|title=Esther Dingley: Missing hiker 'taken against will'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-55917394|date=3 February 2021|access-date=23 April 2021|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> He also suggested that Dingley may have been killed by hunters.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boyfriend-fears-missing-hiker-esther-dingley-was-attacked-by-armed-hunters-z5phjnm57|title=Boyfriend fears missing hiker Esther Dingley was attacked by hunters|first=David Brown &#124; Adam Sage|last=Paris|via=www.thetimes.co.uk}}</ref>


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==Remains found==
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In spring and early summer 2021, the physical search for Dingley in the Pyrenees was resumed by both Colegate alone and by the French and Spanish authorities.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-04-26|title=Esther Dingley: Missing hiker's boyfriend resumes search alone|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-56887828|access-date=2021-04-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-57483101|title=Esther Dingley: Police search for missing British hiker resumes|work=BBC News|date=June 15, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2021/06/15/police-in-spain-resume-search-for-british-hiker-esther-dingley-as-snow-thaws-in-pyrenees/|title=Police in Spain resume search for British hiker Esther Dingley as snow thaws in Pyrenees|first=Staff|last=Reporter|date=June 15, 2021}}</ref>
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Around 23 July 2021, human remains were found near the path below the ''Port de la Glère'', a mountain pass a few kilometers to the west of where Dingley was last seen.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Penza|first=Natalia|date=2021-07-23|title=Police searching for missing hiker find bones near where she disappeared|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/breaking-police-searching-missing-hiker-24605324|access-date=2021-08-01|website=mirror|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Press Association |title=Esther Dingley family call for clarity after claim human remains found in Pyrenees |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/24/esther-dingley-missing-british-hiker-family-clarity-report-human-remains-found-pyrenees |work=The Guardian |date=2021-07-24 |access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref> On 30 July 2021, following [[DNA profiling|DNA testing]], the remains – part of a human skull – were confirmed to be Dingley's.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Vinter |first=Robyn |date=2021-07-30|title=Esther Dingley: remains found in Pyrenees are missing Briton's|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/30/esther-dingley-remains-found-pyrenees-are-missing-britons|access-date=2021-07-30|work=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> On 9 August 2021, Colegate located the rest of her body.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Lyons|first1=Izzy|last2=Rosman|first2=Rebecca|date=2021-08-10|title=Body of missing British hiker Esther Dingley discovered by boyfriend|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/08/10/body-missing-british-hiker-esther-dingley-discovered-boyfriend/|access-date=2021-08-10|issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Body of British hiker Esther Dingley found by partner in Pyrenees |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/aug/10/body-british-hiker-esther-dingley-found-partner-pyrenees |work=The Guardian |date=10 August 2021 |access-date=14 August 2021}}</ref>


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On 13 August 2021, the investigation team announced that it was believed Dingley's death was due to an accidental fall,<ref>{{cite news |title=Esther Dingley: Hiker's Pyrenees death an accident, police say |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-58205386 |work=BBC |date=13 August 2021 |publisher=BBC |access-date=14 August 2021}}</ref> though investigations at that point were still ongoing.
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Colegate is being represented by LBT Global. LBT Global changed its name from the Lucie Blackman Trust, and announced an intended expansion of its activities, in the days before Dingley's disappearance following a split from the Blackman family.<ref name=bbc-esther-dingley-missing-briton-was-experienced-hiker/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://onthewight.com/family-step-away-from-lucie-blackman-trust-which-rebrands-as-lbt-global/|title=Family step away from Lucie Blackman Trust, which rebrands as LBT Global|date=November 10, 2020|website=Isle of Wight News from OnTheWight}}</ref>


On 1 October 2021, Colegate released a final statement on the couple's [[Facebook]] page that Dingley had been laid to rest, thanking the public for its support.
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==Remains found==
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On or about 23 July 2021, human remains were found near the [https://www.summitpost.org/port-de-la-gl-re/647214 Port de la Glère], a few kilometers to the west of where Dingley was last seen.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Penza|first=Natalia|date=2021-07-23|title=Police searching for missing hiker find bones near where she disappeared|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/breaking-police-searching-missing-hiker-24605324|access-date=2021-08-01|website=mirror|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Press Association |title=Esther Dingley family call for clarity after claim human remains found in Pyrenees |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/24/esther-dingley-missing-british-hiker-family-clarity-report-human-remains-found-pyrenees |work=The Guardian |date=2021-07-24 |access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref> On 30 July 2021, following [[DNA profiling|DNA testing]], the remains – part of a human skull – were confirmed to be Dingley's.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Vinter |first=Robyn |date=2021-07-30|title=Esther Dingley: remains found in Pyrenees are missing Briton's|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/30/esther-dingley-remains-found-pyrenees-are-missing-britons|access-date=2021-07-30|work=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> On 9 August 2021, Daniel Colegate, Esther Dingley's partner of 20 years, found the rest of her body.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Lyons|first1=Izzy|last2=Rosman|first2=Rebecca|date=2021-08-10|title=Body of missing British hiker Esther Dingley discovered by boyfriend|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/08/10/body-missing-british-hiker-esther-dingley-discovered-boyfriend/|access-date=2021-08-10|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |title=Body of British hiker Esther Dingley found by partner in Pyrenees |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/aug/10/body-british-hiker-esther-dingley-found-partner-pyrenees |work=The Guardian |publisher=The Guardian |access-date=14 August 2021}}</ref>Colegate was questioned by police, who nevertheless say that he is not a suspect and that an accident remains the most likely cause of Dingley's death.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-08-12|title=Hiker Esther Dingley's boyfriend questioned 'extensively' by police after her body was found|url=https://news-logics.com/hiker-esther-dingleys-boyfriend-questioned-extensively-by-police-after-her-body-was-found/|access-date=2021-08-13|website=News Logics|language=en-US}}</ref>

⚫
On 13 August 2021 the investigation team announced that it was believed Dingley's death was due to an accident <ref>{{cite web |title=Esther Dingley: Hiker's Pyrenees death an accident, police say |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-58205386 |work=BBC |publisher=BBC |access-date=14 August 2021}}</ref> though investigations at that point were still ongoing.


==See also==
==See also==
*[[List of solved missing person cases]]
*[[List of solved missing person cases: pre-2000|List of solved missing person cases]]
*[[List of unsolved deaths]]
*[[List of unsolved deaths]]


Line 59: Line 62:
* Contemporary [[Oxygen (TV network)|Oxygen]] [https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/dan-colegate-believes-esther-dingley-taken-against-her-will ''online article''] speculating as to the circumstances surrounding Dingley's disappearance
* Contemporary [[Oxygen (TV network)|Oxygen]] [https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/dan-colegate-believes-esther-dingley-taken-against-her-will ''online article''] speculating as to the circumstances surrounding Dingley's disappearance
* 2021 [[BBC News]] [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-58159591 ''article''] regarding the discovery of Dingley's body
* 2021 [[BBC News]] [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-58159591 ''article''] regarding the discovery of Dingley's body

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dingley, Esther}}


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{{authority control}}


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dingley, Esther}}
[[Category:2020s missing person cases]]
[[Category:2020s missing person cases]]
[[Category:Deaths by person in France]]
[[Category:Deaths by person in Spain]]
[[Category:Formerly missing people]]
[[Category:Formerly missing people]]
[[Category:Missing person cases in France]]
[[Category:Missing person cases in France]]
[[Category:Missing person cases in Spain]]
[[Category:Missing person cases in Spain]]
[[Category:Unsolved deaths]]
[[Category:Unsolved deaths in France]]

Latest revision as of 19:59, 3 June 2024

Esther Dingley
Disappeared22 November 2020 (age 37)
Pic de Sauvegarde, France
StatusDeceased
Known forHiking around Europe and blogging
Benasque, the last place where Esther Dingley was seen

Esther Dingley was a British woman who disappeared in November 2020 while hiking in the Pyrenees.[1][2] On 23 July 2021, part of Dingley's skull was found near a track by mountain runners. On 9 August of that same year, her partner Daniel Colegate found her other remains.[3]

Background

[edit]

Esther Dingley and her partner, Dan Colegate, met as students at Wadham College, Oxford.[4][better source needed] They began hiking around Europe in 2014, living in a campervan and recording their experiences in a blog. Both partners were dealing with severe health problems: Colegate had depression and had nearly died from necrotising fasciitis he had contracted during surgery, while Dingley had chronic fatigue syndrome.[5][6][7]

On the day of Dingley's last known communication, which was with Colegate on 22 November, the couple had been profiled on the front page of the BBC News website.[8] The BBC story, written while Dingley had left on a solo hiking trip, includes a contemporary interview with Colegate, who was house-sitting at a farmhouse in France, and Dingley, via a remote video link from the couple's campervan. Other articles about their trip and lifestyle appeared on other news sites around the same time.[9]

Disappearance

[edit]

Dingley and Colegate completed an 80-day unbroken hiking trek through the Alps on the Via Alpina on 4 October 2020.[10] After a further ten days travelling in their campervan, the couple took up temporary residence in a borrowed gîte in Gascony. On 22 October, Dingley set off on a solo trip in the campervan.

On 21 November, Dingley set off from Benasque, Huesca, Spain, for a multi-day hike. On 22 November at around 4pm, she sent Colegate short text messages via WhatsApp from the summit of the Pic de Sauvegarde, a 2,737-metre (8,980 ft) mountain in the Pyrenees.[1] Colegate then made a video-call to Dingley lasting around 90 seconds. She planned to spend the night at the fr:Refuge de Vénasque, an unstaffed mountain refuge nearby, but it is not clear whether she did so.[1] Three days later, on 25 November, Colegate reported Dingley missing after she failed to return from her solo trip. She is not known to have communicated with anyone during these three days.[11][12][2]

The peloton de gendarmerie de haute montagne (PGHM) confirmed that they were searching for Dingley, which involved search teams and a helicopter.[1][13] Colegate travelled to Bagnères-de-Luchon to take part in the search.[13] However, in early December 2020, authorities announced that the search had halted due to heavy snow.[11][12]

In February 2021, Colegate said that he was convinced that Dingley had been taken "against her will" and that "somebody else was involved".[14] He also suggested that Dingley might have been killed by hunters.[15]

In spring and early summer 2021, the physical search for Dingley in the Pyrenees was resumed by both Colegate alone and by the French and Spanish authorities.[16][17][18]

Colegate is being represented by the crisis support organisation LBT Global.[2][19]

Remains found

[edit]

Around 23 July 2021, human remains were found near the path below the Port de la Glère, a mountain pass a few kilometers to the west of where Dingley was last seen.[20][21] On 30 July 2021, following DNA testing, the remains – part of a human skull – were confirmed to be Dingley's.[22] On 9 August 2021, Colegate located the rest of her body.[23][24]

On 13 August 2021, the investigation team announced that it was believed Dingley's death was due to an accidental fall,[25] though investigations at that point were still ongoing.

On 1 October 2021, Colegate released a final statement on the couple's Facebook page that Dingley had been laid to rest, thanking the public for its support.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Parveen, Nazia (29 November 2020). "UK woman who has travelled Europe for six years goes missing in Pyrenees". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Esther Dingley: Missing Briton was 'experienced hiker and loved life'". BBC News. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  3. ^ Lyons, Izzy; Rosman, Rebecca (10 August 2021). "Body of missing British hiker Esther Dingley discovered by boyfriend". The Telegraph.
  4. ^ "wadhamoxford". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Necrotising fasciitis". nhs.uk. 19 October 2017.
  6. ^ "'Life started when I almost died': the couple who left everything..." AlKhaleej Today. 23 November 2020.
  7. ^ Madrid, David Brown | Adam Sage, Paris | Lucinda Elliott (21 June 2023). "Esther Dingley 'may have deliberately gone missing to retain nomadic lifestyle'" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Leatherdale, Duncan (22 November 2020). "Van life: Durham couple's six years on the road (and counting)". BBC News. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Durham couple launch book series inspired by van adventure with five dogs". The Northern Echo. 4 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Information Pack Regarding The Disappearance of Esther Dingley from the Pyrenees mountains in November 2020" (PDF). LBT Global Hotline. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Esther Dingley: Missing hiker search 'off until weather improves'". BBC News. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  12. ^ a b Stubley, Peter (5 December 2020). "Esther Dingley: Search for missing British hiker halted due to bad weather". The Independent. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Esther Dingley search: Six teams look for her in Pyrenees". BBC News. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Esther Dingley: Missing hiker 'taken against will'". BBC News. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  15. ^ Paris, David Brown | Adam Sage (21 June 2023). "Boyfriend fears missing hiker Esther Dingley was attacked by hunters" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ "Esther Dingley: Missing hiker's boyfriend resumes search alone". BBC News. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Esther Dingley: Police search for missing British hiker resumes". BBC News. 15 June 2021.
  18. ^ Staff Reporter (15 June 2021). "Police in Spain resume search for British hiker Esther Dingley as snow thaws in Pyrenees".
  19. ^ "Family step away from Lucie Blackman Trust, which rebrands as LBT Global". Isle of Wight News from OnTheWight. 10 November 2020.
  20. ^ Penza, Natalia (23 July 2021). "Police searching for missing hiker find bones near where she disappeared". mirror. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  21. ^ Press Association (24 July 2021). "Esther Dingley family call for clarity after claim human remains found in Pyrenees". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  22. ^ Vinter, Robyn (30 July 2021). "Esther Dingley: remains found in Pyrenees are missing Briton's". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  23. ^ Lyons, Izzy; Rosman, Rebecca (10 August 2021). "Body of missing British hiker Esther Dingley discovered by boyfriend". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Body of British hiker Esther Dingley found by partner in Pyrenees". The Guardian. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Esther Dingley: Hiker's Pyrenees death an accident, police say". BBC. BBC. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
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