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| Mother of Gaia Pope urges volunteers to help find missing teenager | Mother of Gaia Pope urges volunteers to help find missing teenager |
| (2 months later) | |
| Natasha Pope calls on searchers for 19-year-old on Isle of Purbeck not to give up hope, saying: ‘I believe miracles can happen’ | |
| Steven Morris | |
| Fri 17 Nov 2017 18.22 GMT | |
| First published on Fri 17 Nov 2017 17.58 GMT | |
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| The mother of Gaia Pope is urging police and volunteers to continue to search for her missing daughter, insisting the family were clinging to the hope she could still be alive. | The mother of Gaia Pope is urging police and volunteers to continue to search for her missing daughter, insisting the family were clinging to the hope she could still be alive. |
| Detectives on Friday released Paul Elsey, a carpenter, after arresting him on suspicion of Gaia’s murder, and also confirmed that clothing found in fields close to the Dorset coast almost certainly belonged to the missing woman. | Detectives on Friday released Paul Elsey, a carpenter, after arresting him on suspicion of Gaia’s murder, and also confirmed that clothing found in fields close to the Dorset coast almost certainly belonged to the missing woman. |
| Pope’s mother, the actor Natasha Pope, called on searchers not to give up hope. “I believe in this community and I believe miracles can happen. I am holding on to hope, along with Gaia’s sisters and the whole family, who are my strength,” she said. | Pope’s mother, the actor Natasha Pope, called on searchers not to give up hope. “I believe in this community and I believe miracles can happen. I am holding on to hope, along with Gaia’s sisters and the whole family, who are my strength,” she said. |
| “Please hold on with us. My eternal thanks to everyone who is out there searching for my little girl. Please come out over the weekend and do what you can. Every one of you makes a difference.” | “Please hold on with us. My eternal thanks to everyone who is out there searching for my little girl. Please come out over the weekend and do what you can. Every one of you makes a difference.” |
| Police said the search for Pope, 19, who vanished from Swanage on the Isle of Purbeck, and for clues to her disappearance, was taking in miles of difficult terrain and could last for many days. | Police said the search for Pope, 19, who vanished from Swanage on the Isle of Purbeck, and for clues to her disappearance, was taking in miles of difficult terrain and could last for many days. |
| Elsey, 49, was arrested on Thursday and held for about 24 hours before being released under investigation. He is the son of Rosemary Dinch, 71, and uncle of Nathan Elsey, 19, an aspiring actor. They were both arrested on suspicion of murder earlier this week. Dinch and Nathan Elsey, who are friends of Pope, have also been released under investigation. | Elsey, 49, was arrested on Thursday and held for about 24 hours before being released under investigation. He is the son of Rosemary Dinch, 71, and uncle of Nathan Elsey, 19, an aspiring actor. They were both arrested on suspicion of murder earlier this week. Dinch and Nathan Elsey, who are friends of Pope, have also been released under investigation. |
| Giving an update on the search on Friday, Det Supt Paul Kessell of Dorset police’s major crime investigation team said: “The clothing located appears to be Gaia’s and her family have confirmed they match what she was believed to have been wearing the day she went missing.” | Giving an update on the search on Friday, Det Supt Paul Kessell of Dorset police’s major crime investigation team said: “The clothing located appears to be Gaia’s and her family have confirmed they match what she was believed to have been wearing the day she went missing.” |
| The clothing was found in a field close to a quarry and a local beauty spot called Dancing Ledge, where cliffs popular with climbers drop into deep water. | The clothing was found in a field close to a quarry and a local beauty spot called Dancing Ledge, where cliffs popular with climbers drop into deep water. |
| “Specialist officers and teams, supported by Dorset and Wiltshire fire and rescue, the coastguard, national search advisors and the national police air service helicopter, have been conducting detailed searches and forensic examinations of fields and open areas. Wide area searches have also been carried out with the assistance of Dorset search and rescue and volunteers in the community,” he said. | “Specialist officers and teams, supported by Dorset and Wiltshire fire and rescue, the coastguard, national search advisors and the national police air service helicopter, have been conducting detailed searches and forensic examinations of fields and open areas. Wide area searches have also been carried out with the assistance of Dorset search and rescue and volunteers in the community,” he said. |
| “Our search area spans many square miles of grassland, gorse, bracken and undulating difficult terrain, and the public can expect to see officers continuing searches there for a number of days. | “Our search area spans many square miles of grassland, gorse, bracken and undulating difficult terrain, and the public can expect to see officers continuing searches there for a number of days. |
| “This rural area surrounding Purbeck is a wide expanse of challenging ground, much of which is exposed to the elements. In addition, the cliffs along the coast are dangerous and the seas can be unpredictable.” | “This rural area surrounding Purbeck is a wide expanse of challenging ground, much of which is exposed to the elements. In addition, the cliffs along the coast are dangerous and the seas can be unpredictable.” |
| Kessell said searches of two addresses close to where Pope was last seen were almost complete and three vehicles had been seized. | Kessell said searches of two addresses close to where Pope was last seen were almost complete and three vehicles had been seized. |
| About 10,000 people have joined a Find Gaia Facebook group and organisers are urging as many volunteers as possible to join the search. | About 10,000 people have joined a Find Gaia Facebook group and organisers are urging as many volunteers as possible to join the search. |
| People were being invited to arrive at three meeting points on Saturday, when they will be split into groups to scour as much of the Isle of Purbeck countryside as possible. | People were being invited to arrive at three meeting points on Saturday, when they will be split into groups to scour as much of the Isle of Purbeck countryside as possible. |
| “We are calling for each and every one of you who possibly can to come to Swanage. We will be line-searching as much of the rural area as we possibly can. It’s time to find Gaia,” a group spokesperson said. | “We are calling for each and every one of you who possibly can to come to Swanage. We will be line-searching as much of the rural area as we possibly can. It’s time to find Gaia,” a group spokesperson said. |
| “We are expecting a very large turnout. We will then comb the area looking for any and every sign, clue, or piece of information we can find.” | “We are expecting a very large turnout. We will then comb the area looking for any and every sign, clue, or piece of information we can find.” |
| Pope vanished without her epilepsy medication and her family fear that her medical condition may have played a part in her disappearance. | Pope vanished without her epilepsy medication and her family fear that her medical condition may have played a part in her disappearance. |
| Her cousin Marienna Pope-Weidemann said: “Gaia’s condition has been really deteriorating over the past six months to a year. She rarely gets through a day without a seizure. | Her cousin Marienna Pope-Weidemann said: “Gaia’s condition has been really deteriorating over the past six months to a year. She rarely gets through a day without a seizure. |
| “Sometimes they’re very small, she’ll break conversation for a minute or so and then she’s back to her old bubbly self. Other times they’re very serious – we’ve had to call the paramedics many times. | “Sometimes they’re very small, she’ll break conversation for a minute or so and then she’s back to her old bubbly self. Other times they’re very serious – we’ve had to call the paramedics many times. |
| “Those bigger seizures are often accompanied with quite prolonged periods of confusion and disorientation. There’s been times when she’s not recognised us for a short time afterwards, not really understood where she is. That’s a big part of what’s made this case so complicated.” | “Those bigger seizures are often accompanied with quite prolonged periods of confusion and disorientation. There’s been times when she’s not recognised us for a short time afterwards, not really understood where she is. That’s a big part of what’s made this case so complicated.” |
| Pope, from Langton Matravers, was staying in nearby Swanage when she disappeared on 7 November. | Pope, from Langton Matravers, was staying in nearby Swanage when she disappeared on 7 November. |
| That afternoon, she was driven from the village to Swanage by a family member when they stopped for fuel at St Michael’s garage on Valley Road. At about 2.55pm, Pope went inside and bought an ice-cream. Police have released CCTV footage of her in the garage. | That afternoon, she was driven from the village to Swanage by a family member when they stopped for fuel at St Michael’s garage on Valley Road. At about 2.55pm, Pope went inside and bought an ice-cream. Police have released CCTV footage of her in the garage. |
| The last confirmed sighting of Pope was on Morrison Road in Swanage. A CCTV camera caught her running along the road at 3.39pm. | The last confirmed sighting of Pope was on Morrison Road in Swanage. A CCTV camera caught her running along the road at 3.39pm. |
| Police have also been handed footage from a driver’s dashcam that shows a figure apparently talking to a driver pulled over at the side of a road close to Langton Matravers at 11.35pm. Police have not commented on this. Forensic investigations were continuing at two properties in Manor Gardens just off Morrison Road. | Police have also been handed footage from a driver’s dashcam that shows a figure apparently talking to a driver pulled over at the side of a road close to Langton Matravers at 11.35pm. Police have not commented on this. Forensic investigations were continuing at two properties in Manor Gardens just off Morrison Road. |
| Her family has suggested that Pope, who was feeling upset about an unspecified trauma, may be hiding or could have been kidnapped. | Her family has suggested that Pope, who was feeling upset about an unspecified trauma, may be hiding or could have been kidnapped. |
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