Gaia Pope death: police face questions as family pay tribute

Police are facing questions over the handling of the search for Gaia Pope, whose body was found near a coastal path 11 days after she vanished from a Dorset seaside town.

Three members of one family arrested last week on suspicion of murdering the 19-year-old have been released from further investigation after a postmortem found no indication that anyone else was involved in Pope’s death.

A relative of the arrested trio claimed police could have found Pope sooner had they not focused on the theory that she had been the victim of foul play.

Pope’s family said they also had questions to ask but thanked the police and other emergency services for their efforts. They paid emotional tributes to Pope, describing her as a “wise, magnificent soul,” and vowed to stay strong for the sake of her two sisters.

Specialist police search teams found Pope’s body on Saturday afternoon close to a craggy stretch of coast on the Isle of Purbeck, not far from where items of her clothing were found on Thursday. The spot is about a mile from the outskirts of Swanage, from where she vanished on 7 November.

Police said she had not suffered any injuries that would suggest anyone else was involved. The cause of death may not be known for some time because toxicology and other tests are being carried out.

Dorset police said no further action would be taken against Rosemary Dinch, 71, her son Paul Elsey, 49, and her grandson Nathan Elsey, 19, who were all arrested on suspicion of murder.

Dinch’s ex-husband Greg Elsey criticised the police over the arrests. He said the spot where Pope’s body was found by police was one of her favourite places and should have been searched carefully earlier.

He said he believed Pope went to Dinch’s house in Swanage on the day she vanished because it was a safe place. Elsey said: “She knew Rosemary was an elderly, kind lady so she felt safe to go there. She [Pope] was in a terrible state.”

Elsey argued that if police had concentrated more on Pope’s distressed state they might have launched a more effective search. “I think a bigger search would have taken place immediately. They could have put helicopters up and they may have found her alive,” he said.

“They [the police] decided my family were involved when all they did is show kindness. If they had handled this properly, Gaia would have been found a lot earlier, but instead of that they have totally mishandled it.”

He said the investigation had taken a “terrible toll” on his family and that Dinch and Nathan Elsey “collapsed on the floor crying” when they learned Pope’s body had been found.

Det Supt Paul Kessell, of Dorset police’s major crime investigation team, defended the decision to arrest the three, saying: “I appreciate our inquiries would have caused these individuals stress and anxiety. However, we have an obligation in any missing person investigation to explore every possible line of inquiry.

“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.”

An important line the police are following is the state of Pope’s physical and mental health when she went missing. Pope disappeared without the drugs she needed to treat her epilepsy, and family and friends said she was feeling stressed about a traumatic event that happened about two years ago.

Natasha Pope said her daughter was “a light that will radiate for all eternity”. In a statement, she said: “My beautiful Gaia … a wise, magnificent soul that burns far too bright for this world. Her spirit overflows with love and compassion for others.”

Asked whether he had questions that needed answering, Pope’s father, Richard Sutherland, told ITV News: “Yes, we want to know more. I think we know that she was really struggling. A lot of issues and she clearly just couldn’t cope with that. With the epilepsy, she was just struggling badly.

“For now, our focus is on remembering our Gaia. Holding her close to us. Looking after each other. Then maybe with a bit of time we can look back and see what things might be taken from it. But family first now.”

Sutherland said he last spent a day with Pope just over a week before she went missing. He said: “I took her to the hairdressers. She told me she would be 45 minutes, she was getting some highlights done in her hair, she was very excited about it. She was about three and a half hours. Then we went for something to eat and had a lovely time together. It was good. She was in a happy mood at the time.

“I want everybody to know that we fight on for the sake of her sisters. She lives on through her sisters and we fight on for them. We love you, we stick together, we will come through this together.

Addressing his daughter directly, he said: “Our beautiful bird has flown. She’s not with us now in body but she will remain in our hearts and with us forever, so while the loss of her in one way is immeasurable, we will treasure you, Gaia, and honour you always. You’re not in pain any more my darling. We love you. I love you.”