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BBC: Body found in missing Gaia Pope search


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  • 18 November 2017
  • From the section England
Gaia PopeImage copyright PA
Image caption Gaia Pope was last seen in Swanage on 7 November

A body has been found on land near Swanage in the hunt for missing teenager Gaia Pope.

Dorset Police said they are "confident" the remains are that of the 19-year-old, who has been missing for 11 days.

Officers made the discovery near a coastal path and field where items of her clothing were found on Thursday.

Three people have previously been arrested on suspicion of murder and released while inquiries continue.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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Gaia Pope: Sister says teenager was 'light of my life'

  • 19 November 2017
  • From the section Dorset
Gaia PopeImage copyright PA
Image caption Gaia Pope was last seen in Swanage on 7 November

The sister of Gaia Pope has described the teenager as the "absolute light of my life", after police found a body on Saturday.

Clara Pope-Sutherland said her sister was "intelligent, beautiful and emotionally wise", in a tribute to the 19-year-old from Dorset.

The body was found at about 15:00 (GMT) near Swanage, close to where items of her clothing were found on Thursday.

Dorset Police said it was "confident" it was the missing woman.

Miss Pope had not been seen for 11 days before the discovery of the body near the coast path.

Det Supt Paul Kessell, of Dorset Police's major crime investigation team, said a post-mortem examination would take place and forensic examinations would continue.

"This will guide the investigation in respect of the circumstances of the death, which at this time remains unexplained," he said.

Det Supt Kessell said all the clothing had been found and the public was no longer needed to help with the searches.

He said Miss Pope's family was being supported by specially-trained officers.

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Media captionGaia Pope's cousin and sister spoke after the body was found

Miss Pope's cousin, Marienna Pope-Weidemann, said: "We are absolutely devastated and unable to put those feelings of loss into words.

"Our little bird has flown, but she will always be with us."

'Community spirit'

The teenager's body was discovered by police on Saturday afternoon as local people took part in three mass searches of land around Swanage.

Addressing those volunteers who searched, her sister said everyone's hard work had been "absolutely worth it".

It had been a "ray of light" in the nightmare, said Miss Pope-Weidemann.

During the search for Miss Pope three people were arrested on suspicion of murder and released under investigation.

They were 71-year-old Rosemary Dinch; her 49-year-old son Paul Elsey; and her 19-year-old grandson Nathan Elsey - all of whom were known to Miss Pope.

Image copyright Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Image caption Land close to where the items of clothing were found was searched

The search for Gaia Pope

Image copyright Gaia Pope

7 November: Miss Pope is driven by a family member from Langton Matravers to Swanage. At 14:55, she is caught on CCTV at St Michael's Garage buying ice cream. The last confirmed sighting is at 16:00 at an address in Manor Gardens on Morrison Road

8 November: Her family makes a plea through police for her to make contact. Dorset Police says it is "becoming increasingly concerned"

9 November: Searches by police, the coastguard and force helicopter are carried out in the Swanage area. Miss Pope's relatives release a statement saying they are "frantic with worry"

10 November: CCTV footage shows Miss Pope on Morrison Road, Manor Gardens, at 15:39 on 7 November

13 November: Rosemary Dinch and Nathan Elsey are arrested on suspicion of murder and released under investigation

14 November: Searches continue with the coastguard and volunteers from Dorset Search and Rescue and Wessex 4x4

15 November: CCTV images of Miss Pope at St Michael's Garage are released. Searches continue to concentrate inland

16 November: Paul Elsey is arrested on suspicion of murder. Miss Pope's clothing is discovered in a field near Swanage and a police cordon is set up

17 November: Mr Elsey is released under investigation

18 November: Police discover a body near the coast path and a field close to where items of her clothing were found on Thursday

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'No others involved' in Gaia Pope's death

  • 19 November 2017
  • From the section England
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There were no injuries to suggest "any other person was involved" in the death of missing teenager Gaia Pope, police have said.

The 19-year-old's body was found in a field near Swanage 11 days after she was last seen in the town.

Dorset Police said a post-mortem examination "has not identified any injuries to suggest any other person was involved" in her death.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.

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  • 20 November 2017
  • From the section Dorset
Gaia PopeImage copyright PA
Image caption Gaia Pope's body was found 11 days after she went missing

Three people who were held over the death of teenager Gaia Pope will face no further action, police have said.

Paul Elsey, 49, his mother Rosemary Dinch, 71, and her 19-year-old grandson, Nathan Elsey, were all arrested on suspicion of murder.

They were questioned by detectives over the disappearance of 19-year-old Miss Pope, who went missing from Swanage, Dorset, on 7 November.

Her body was found on Saturday in a field near the town.

A post-mortem examination was conducted on Sunday but did not identify any injuries to suggest the involvement of other people, Dorset Police said.

The force is treating the death as "unexplained" pending toxicology results.

Image copyright PA
Image caption A police cordon was set up in a field near Swanage after Miss Pope's clothing was found on Thursday

Det Supt Paul Kessell, of Dorset Police said: "Following the results of the post-mortem examination and other ongoing investigative enquiries, we have concluded that no-one else was involved in Gaia's death.

"As such we have today released from our investigation two men aged 19 and 49 and a 71-year-old woman, all from Swanage, who had been arrested and were assisting with our enquiries.

"I appreciate our enquiries would have caused these individuals stress and anxiety, however we have an obligation in any missing person investigation to explore every possible line of enquiry.

"The public would expect Dorset Police to fully investigate the sudden disappearance of a teenage girl. Our aim was not only to find Gaia but to find out what happened to her.

"Gaia's family has been informed of this latest development and our thoughts remain with all her family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."

Image caption People in the town came together at the church to say prayers and light candles on Sunday night

Following her disappearance, searches by police, the coastguard and police helicopter - along with hundreds of volunteers - were carried out in the Swanage area.

On Thursday, police discovered clothing belonging to Miss Pope on open land outside Swanage.

Her elder sister, Clara Pope-Sutherland, said the 19-year-old was the "light of my life" and "intelligent, beautiful and emotionally wise".

On Sunday evening a church service was held at St Mary's Church in Swanage with candles lit in memory of Miss Pope.


The search for Gaia Pope

Image copyright Gaia Pope

7 November: Miss Pope is driven by a family member from Langton Matravers to Swanage. At 14:55, she is seen on CCTV at St Michael's Garage buying ice cream. The last confirmed sighting is at 16:00 at an address in Manor Gardens on Morrison Road

8 November: Her family makes a plea through police for her to make contact. Dorset Police says it is "becoming increasingly concerned"

9 November: Searches by police, the coastguard and force helicopter are carried out in the Swanage area. Miss Pope's relatives release a statement saying they are "frantic with worry"

10 November: CCTV footage shows Miss Pope on Morrison Road, Manor Gardens, at 15:39 on 7 November

13 November: Rosemary Dinch and Nathan Elsey are arrested on suspicion of murder and released under investigation

14 November: Searches continue with the coastguard and volunteers from Dorset Search and Rescue and Wessex 4x4

15 November: CCTV images of Miss Pope at St Michael's Garage are released. Searches continue to concentrate inland

16 November: Paul Elsey is arrested on suspicion of murder. Miss Pope's clothing is discovered in a field near Swanage and a police cordon is set up

17 November: Mr Elsey is released under investigation

18 November: Police discover a body near the coast path and a field close to where her clothing was found

20 November: Police announce Paul Elsey, Ms Dinch, and Nathan Elsey are to face no action

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Gaia Pope struggled with health before her death, father says

  • 20 November 2017
  • From the section Dorset
Gaia PopeImage copyright PA
Image caption Gaia Pope's body was found 11 days after she went missing

Teenager Gaia Pope had "struggled" with health issues before her death, her father has said.

Police are treating the 19-year-old's death as "unexplained" after her body was found in a field near Swanage on Saturday.

Her father Richard Sutherland, said his daughter had had "a lot of issues" and "clearly just couldn't cope with that."

Three people who were arrested on suspicion of her murder will face no further action, police said earlier.

Paul Elsey, 49, his mother Rosemary Dinch, 71, and her 19-year-old grandson, Nathan Elsey, were all questioned about Ms Pope's disappearance.

Image copyright PA
Image caption Miss Pope's body was found close to where items of her clothing were discovered two days earlier

Her body was found 11 days after she was reported missing in Swanage, on 7 November.

A post-mortem examination did not identify any injuries to suggest the involvement of other people, Dorset Police said.

The force is awaiting the results of toxicology tests.

Paul's father, Greg Elsey, said Ms Pope was clearly "on the verge of a nervous breakdown" when she visited Mrs Dinch in an agitated state on the day she disappeared.

He said her health problems included a previous breakdown as well as epilepsy.

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Media captionGaia Pope's family give statement

In a statement, Ms Pope's mother Natasha described her daughter as "a light that will radiate for all eternity".

"A wise, magnificent soul that burns far too bright for this world," she said.

"Her spirit overflows with love and compassion for others. Gaia our free spirit, our wild pony."

'Very vulnerable'

Mr Sutherland thanked the emergency services and members of the public who joined searches for his daughter.

He said his daughter had "happy moments... right up into the end of her life", despite her health problems.

Her cousin Marienna Pope-Weidemann said Ms Pope had been "very, very vulnerable, but such an inspiration".

She said she was determined that "lessons will be learned" from Ms Pope's death.

Visibly upset, she said: "It should not have taken 11 days to find her so close and we need to know why."

Image copyright PA
Image caption Gaia Pope's father Richard Sutherland thanked members of the public before a community search on Saturday

Following her disappearance, searches by police, the coastguard and police helicopter - along with hundreds of volunteers - were carried out in the Swanage area.

On Thursday, police discovered clothing belonging to Ms Pope on open land outside the town.

Her body was found two days later in the same area.

Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption Search and rescue teams scoured the open space above the cliffs near Swanage

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Gaia Pope death: Arrested family want police apology

  • 21 November 2017
  • From the section Dorset
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Gaia PopeImage copyright PA
Image caption Gaia Pope's body was found 11 days after she went missing

A 19-year-old wrongly arrested on suspicion of Gaia Pope's murder has been "on the verge of a mental breakdown", his mother has said.

Nathan Elsey was detained alongside his grandmother Rosemary Dinch, 71, six days after Miss Pope, 19, disappeared.

Deborah Elsey said she had "no idea" why her son was a suspect and has called on Dorset Police to apologise.

The force, which has released the pair without charge, said officers would have had "multiple grounds for arrest".

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Media captionGaia Pope's father Richard Sutherland said the family would "treasure her always"

Mrs Elsey, a family friend of Miss Pope's, said her son's arrest was a "horrendous shock".

'Every single emotion'

Her brother Paul Elsey was also arrested on suspicion of murder and later released.

Mrs Elsey said she and the three arrested family members were staying with her brother Greg.

"We're still not in our homes and still have none of our personal effects. At the very least I'd like an apology," she said.

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Media playback is unsupported on your device
Media captionFamily friend Rosemary Dinch was the last person to see Gaia Pope before she went missing

"We're going through every single emotion rolled into one - you don't know what you're feeling.

"One minute you want to cry for yourself, then you cry for Gaia and her family and then there's anger for police."

Miss Pope was reported missing from Swanage, Dorset, on 7 November.

Her body was found on Saturday 18 November in a field near the town.

A post-mortem examination conducted the next day did not identify any injuries to suggest the involvement of other people, Dorset Police said.

On Monday, the force announced Paul Elsey, Ms Dinch, and Nathan Elsey were to face no action.

It is treating the death as "unexplained" pending toxicology results.

In a statement the force said: "We appreciate our enquiries would have caused these individuals stress and anxiety, however we have an obligation in any missing person investigation to explore every possible line of enquiry."

Image copyright PA
Image caption The family say they have not been allowed back in their homes since the arrests

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