Police officers have revealed that they had contact with student nurse Owami Davies on the day that she went missing. Owami, aged 24, disappeared from her family home in Grays, Essex almost six weeks ago, the Mirror reports.
She was then seen on CCTV in Croydon, south London, three days later but it is still unknown what happened to her. However, it has now been found that Met Police officers spoke to Owami on Wednesday, July 6, the day on which she went missing.
Despite this, they had no idea she was an official missing person as the police database had not been updated by the Essex Police. Met officers had responded to concerns for a woman's welfare. Body-worn cameras worn by them show Owami looking dishevelled.
Last week, police said there was another possible sighting and believe she could "regularly travelling by rail in a vulnerable state." They added that she could appear "dazed and confused" and "possibly seeking to engage with other lone female travellers."
The Independent Office of Police Conduct is now looking into the handling of the case regarding the student nurse.
It comes as five people have been arrested in relation to her disappearance - two on suspicion of murder and three on kidnapping. Although they were all later released on bail.
In a statement, the IOPC said: "We can confirm that we received a referral on August 5 from the Metropolitan Police Service in relation to contact officers had with Owami Davies in Croydon on July 6, after she had been reported missing to Essex Police. We are currently assessing the available information to determine what further action may be required."
Meanwhile, the Met Police said: "On Wednesday, July 6, officers were called to Clarendon Road, Croydon. There were concerns for the welfare of a woman at the location. Officers attended and called (an ambulance), but the woman stated she did not want assistance and left. As a result of the subsequent missing person investigation, this woman has been confirmed as Owami Davies.
"The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) were consulted and, as there has been contact with police, the IOPC were informed. The IOPC has requested the matter be referred to them. The officers are not subject to any current investigation by the DPS.
"The interaction recorded on the officers' body-worn video has been viewed by members of the Independent Advisory Group and Owami's family to ensure openness and transparency."
Owami had two months left of her nursing studies and had landed an NHS job at Guy's and St Thomas' health trust. Last month, her mum Nicol Davies, made a heartbreaking plea to help find her daughter.
She said: "There are many friends and family who love and care for Owami and all of them want to see her safe return. Owami - if you see this appeal please believe you are not in any trouble, we just want you to come back to us. Please leave a message if you can to let us know you are OK, we are so very worried about you.
"This is such a terrible time for all those who love Owami and I am pleading for anyone who can help find her to contact police. Every day we hope to hear the news that Owami is coming back to us, your help might make it so."
Sistah Space, a London-based charity that serves African and Caribbean heritage women and girls affected by domestic and sexual abuse, believes better communication between the two forces could have led to her being found quicker.
Djanomi Headly and Ngozi Fulani, from the charity, said in a statement: “Mistakes are costing black lives. They don't tend to make this mistake with other demographics. So on this occasion, we're almost prepared for the statement, ‘you know, we're very sorry that this happened, we've learned we've learned from this'.
“Something as simple and as standard as following standard procedure protocol for a missing person is not being done. This may have had some really severe consequences.
“And we have to ask the question, why is there such a relaxed attitude? Why wasn't she treated as vulnerable? Why was she not given the same level of the same duty of care given to other survivors? We definitely need to hear answers about why this has been kept from the public. How much does Owami’s mum have to suffer?”
The Met Police vehemently denied the charity's claims.
A spokesperson said: "Investigating missing person reports is one of the most complex areas of policing as each case has a unique set of circumstances which needs to be assessed to devise an appropriate and proportionate response.
"We have engaged proactively with the media, issuing appeals and sharing CCTV footage and images of Owami as soon as we have confirmed sightings of her. From our first proactive appeal we made clear she was vulnerable and that we were concerned for her wellbeing. We also continue to support her family at what is a very difficult time.
"Any suggestion that the investigation is not being taken seriously and that we are not fully dedicated to finding Owami is not only disappointing, it is simply not supported by the facts."
A spokesperson for Essex Police said: "As with any missing person investigation, we carried out a number of enquiries to locate her including financial and phone checks, address checks and enquiries with friends and family, CCTV investigations and enquiries with local hospitals.
"On July 11 an investigative decision was made to issue a proactive media appeal. As a result of the appeal and through these enquiries we established Owami had last been seen in London, specifically Croydon. At this point we liaised with the Met Police and continue to do so.
"There was a significant amount of investigative work into locating Owami before the decision to issue a proactive appeal. As our investigation progressed, it became clear a significant number of enquiries to locate Owami were in London and so the investigation to find her was formally transferred to the Met on July 23."
According to data from the National Crime Agency, black people accounted for 36% of missing people in London in 2019 and 2020.
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