The family of Owami Davies have expressed their “deepest gratitude” to the public after the nurse was found alive and well more than seven weeks after she went missing.
Family have spoken to the 24-year-old after she was found in Hampshire on Tuesday by someone who had seen the public appeal.
She was last seen on July 7 in Croydon when concerns grew for her safety.
Ms Davies’ family have thanked the public for their help.
“We the Davies family would like to express our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you,” they said in a statement on social media.
“Thank-you for your well wishes, love, hugs and thoughts.
“Together we searched far and beyond. We are forever grateful.”
In a later tweet, the family said: “ I know WE all prayed , OUR prayers were answered To everyone who Hoped, retweeted, shared, tagged , word of mouth, posters ,wrote about it, sang about it, however way you helped us #findowami you did an amazing job. God Bless all of you.”
I know WE all prayed , OUR prayers were answered🙏🏾
— PleaseHelpusfindOwamiDavies (@helpusfindowami) August 23, 2022
To everyone who Hoped,
retweeted, shared, tagged , word of mouth, posters ,wrote about it, sang about it, however way you helped us #findowami you did an amazing job.
God Bless all of you ❤️
WE THANK YOU SO SO MUCH 🙏🏾
The Met said Ms Davies had been found “as a result of a call to police from someone who had seen media appeals”.
They said the call was the 118th reported sighting officers had received and was made at 10.30am on Tuesday.
Detectives said Owami appeared “fit and well cared for”.
Officers will speak to Ms Davies more fully in due course about her welfare.
Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Penney, the the Met’s Specialist Crime, said: “This is the outcome we were all hoping and praying for.”
Met Police and Essex Police said a review of when Owami was first reported missing will be carried out to ensure they “have acted correctly and to identify any ways to improve our response to finding other missing people”.
Ms Davies left her family home in Chafford Hundred, Grays, Essex on July 4 having told her mother she was going to the gym.
Nicol Davies, 46, tracked her daughter using the Find My iPhone app when she failed to arrive at the gym.
Owami’s 15-year-old brother went to Chafford Gorges Nature Park and found her sitting on a bench drinking. He grew upset when she refused to return to the family’s nearby home.
Owami was found asleep in a doorway in Clarendon Road, Croydon on July 6 while waiting for a friend, but told Metropolitan Police officers that she did not need help and left.
Her family had reported her disappearance but Ms Davies had not been marked as a missing person on the police database at that time.
Five people were arrested and bailed in connection with her disappearance – two on suspicion of murder and three on suspicion of kidnap – but police said there was no evidence that she had come to harm.
The Met will speak to Ms Davies and try to establish what led to her disappearance.
“Owami will be spoken to and we’ll try to fathom reasons as to how she disappeared, why she disappeared, and if there was any concern around the days and weeks while she was disappeared for us to be concerned about,” Mr Penney said.
