Owami Davies: missing student nurse found ‘safe and well’ by police 8 weeks after disappearing, what happened?
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Student nurse Owami Davies has been found “safe and well” in Hampshire almost eight weeks after she went missing, the Metropolitan Police has said.
Owami Davies left her family home in Essex on Monday 4 July and had last been seen in West Croydon, south London, on Thursday 7 July.
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Hide AdHer family had reported her disappearance but Ms Davies had not been marked as a missing person on the police database at that time.
The 24-year-old was found asleep in a doorway in Clarendon Road, Croydon on 6 July while waiting for a friend, but told Metropolitan Police officers that she did not need help and left.
Investigators had trawled through 117 reported sightings of Ms Davies, who had experienced periods of depression in the past for which she needed medical treatment, and had also used alcohol to deal with the condition.
Officers had said that she had used different names, but would not reveal what they were.
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Who is Owami Davies?
Miss Davies was nearing the end of her studies and had secured a job with Guy’s and St Thomas’ health trust, her mother previously told the PA news agency.
She had worked in A&E during the Covid-19 pandemic and was interested in doing research on diseases.
The 24-year-old, who is nicknamed “Princess” due to her love of Disney, had family holidays planned to Spain and Disneyland Paris.
When was she found?
On Tuesday, the Met Police announced Miss Davies had been found safe and well as a result of a call to police from someone who had seen media appeals.
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Hide AdIt was the 118th reported sighting to police and was received at 10.30am on Tuesday morning.
The Met Police said her family have been informed and they have spoken to her.
Det Ch Insp Nigel Penney, Specialist Crime, said: “This is the outcome we were all hoping and praying for. My team have been working around to clock to find Owami and we are immensely relieved she has been found.
He added: “She looks in good health, she’s in a place of safety, and not currently in the vulnerable state that we were led to believe she was in at the start of her disappearance.”
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Hide Ad“I would like to sincerely thank the media and public for sharing appeals to find Owami. Your help in cases like this is crucial and we are very grateful. I’d like to also thank colleagues at Essex Police for their invaluable assistance during this investigation.
“I would now politely request that the privacy of Owami and her family are respected at this time.”


Timeline of Owami Davies’ disappearance
She left her family home in Grays, Essex on Monday 4 July.
She was last spotted walking north on London Road, away from West Croydon, on Thursday 7 July.
The CCTV was taken about 12.30pm on Thursday 7 July and shows Owami in a dark jacket, red t-shirt, light grey joggers, slider type shoes and carrying a white handbag.
This had been the last known recorded image of Owami.
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Hide AdThis was 12 hours later than the previous CCTV released by Scotland Yard.
The footage showed Owami walking with a man along Derby Road, away from West Croydon station, in the opposite direction from London Road.
Detectives had appealed for the driver of a white van which was seen parked on the road and driving off as Owami, and the man she was with, crossed the road.

Scotland Yard released CCTV images on 3 August from a shop in Derby Road, Croydon of a woman it said was Owami.
The images are from 7 July.
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Hide AdIn the footage and images, the student nurse was wearing a white t-shirt - however in the latest CCTV she appears to have changed into a red Adidas top.
Police have CCTV showing her entering West Croydon station on 6 July and said she had gone to Croydon, to meet a friend - but had not managed to do this.
Officers spoke to that friend, and searched the house she went to visit.
Detectives said on Monday that Ms Davies may have been sleeping rough, with no money on her Oyster card and no access to her phone or bank cards.
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How have the police investigated Owami’s disappearance?
On Saturday (20 August) Scotland Yard revealed its officers had spoken to Ms Davies on 6 July, after attending an address in Croydon over concerns for the welfare of a woman.
Ms Davies reportedly told them she did not want help and at the time she had not been marked as a missing person on the police database.
Watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is now considering whether to investigate the police contact with Ms Davies that day.
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Hide AdThe IOPC confirmed it is assessing the material and is considering whether further action is required.
Her family and members of an Independent Advisory Group have seen body-worn camera footage of the interaction, but it will not yet be released publicly.
She was also reported missing to Essex Police by her family on 6 July - but the Met didn’t put out a press release saying she was missing for more than three weeks.
Scotland Yard released CCTV images on 3 August from a shop in Croydon of a woman it said was Owami.
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Hide AdThe pictures were published by a number of media outlets but the force apologised hours later saying they were of another woman. New images were then released.
The Met said: “We previously issued two still CCTV images of a woman in a shop which were titled Owami Davies shop 1/2.
“These images are not of Owami – please withdraw them from any publications.
“We will be sending out correct images ASAP and apologise for this error.”
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Hide AdMet Police Commander Paul Brogden said: “We know there have been concerns raised around the search for Owami.
“We, alongside our colleagues in Essex Police, will be carrying out a review of all our actions from when Owami was first reported missing to ensure we have acted correctly and to identify any ways to improve our response to finding other missing people.”
Was anyone arrested during the investigation?
Five people have been arrested and bailed in connection with her disappearance.
Two were arrested on suspicion of murder and three on suspicion of kidnap – but police say there is no evidence that she has come to harm.
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Hide AdOn 1 August, two men, aged 27 and 23, were arrested in the Croydon area in connection with the investigation.
A 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on 2 August at an address in South Croydon.
On 3 August a 22-year-old man was arrested at an address in Croydon on suspicion of murder.
Police made a fifth arrest on 6 August, detaining a 27-year-old man on suspicion of kidnap.
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Hide AdWhat is Owami’s family saying?
On Friday 5 August, Owami’s mother, Nicol Davies had made an appeal for her daughter’s safe return and 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 okay, we are so very worried about you.”


She added: "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.”
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Hide AdSpeaking at New Scotland Yard on Wednesday 3 August, Owami’s mother Nicol Davies told the PA news agency: “It is obvious that someone out there has seen something, someone out there knows something, someone out there heard something.
“I am begging, I am asking for the public’s help, from the people, to say if you know, if you have heard or seen her, or she passed you, please speak up. All we really want is to find her, all we really need is for her to come home or to know her whereabouts.
“I sit here as a desperate mother at the mercy of anyone that knows or heard something to help me find my baby, that’s all I’m asking, just help to find her.”