Missing Owami Davies could be sleeping rough and has no access to phone or bank cards, says Met
22 August 2022, 18:28 | Updated: 24 August 2022, 15:38
Missing student nurse Owami Davies could be sleeping rough, detectives have said.
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The 24-year-old, who was last seen in Croydon, south London on July 7, has no money left on her Oyster card and no access to her phone or bank cards.
She 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 - before she was registered as a missing person.
Investigators are trawling 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 said that she had used different names, but would not reveal what they were.
Read more: Police watchdog considers probe into Met officers' contact with missing Owami Davies
Five people have been arrested and bailed in connection with her disappearance - two on suspicion of murder and three on suspicion of kidnap - but police say there is no evidence that she has come to harm.
During a briefing with journalists on Monday, Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Penney said: "There is no evidence that she's come to harm.
"We're still hopeful that we'll find her alive and well."
Asked whether she could be sleeping rough, he said: "We're open to all possibilities and that is one current working hypothesis, that she is in that current situation with her life."
Owami Davies, 24, from Grays, Essex, left her family home on July 4 and was last seen just after midnight in Derby Road, West Croydon, south London, on July 7, but has not been found.
Ms Davies's family reported her missing to Essex Police on July 6 and the force handed the investigation to the Metropolitan Police on July 23.
The Met said on Monday that Ms Davies arrived in West Croydon by train on the July 6 and believe it was to see a friend who lived in Clarenden Road – but she never did meet them.
It was revealed over the weekend that Met officers came into contact with Ms Davies on July 6 after a woman said she was worried for her welfare, but at that point she had not been marked as a missing person.
The Met said Ms Davies was sleeping in a doorway in Clarenden Road, but refused help and left by the time the ambulance arrived.
The Met was also forced to apologise on Monday after it was revealed photographs of the wrong woman had been issued.
The photos showed a woman in a shop in Croydon - but the woman was not Ms Davies.
A spokesperson said: "The image was published in error and was removed as soon as this was realised.
"We have engaged proactively with the media throughout the investigation and have so far published nine appeals for information.
"Our efforts to find Owami are being led by a team of detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command who are experts in complex investigations.
"They are supported by resources from local policing teams and are working night and day to pursue every possible line of enquiry.
"Officers have recovered more than 50,000 hours of CCTV and viewed 10,000 hours as they work to confirm possible sightings and trace Owami’s movements.
"They continue to carry out additional patrols in the area she was last seen in an effort to identify new leads.
"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."
The correct photos were issued afterwards.
The police watchdog said earlier it considering whether to investigate the interactions between Scotland Yard and Ms Davies on July 6.
The force said its professional standards body was consulted and is not investigating the officers.
But it said the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) had requested the matter to be referred to it.
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In a statement, Scotland Yard said: "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."
The IOPC said in a statement: "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."
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The Met issued a fresh appeal in its search for Ms Davies at the beginning of this week, saying she could be in Croydon and "in need of help".
On Thursday, British Transport Police (BTP) tweeted that the 24-year-old could still regularly be taking trains, may appear dazed or confused and may be seeking to engage with women travelling alone.
BTP wrote: "We know Owami Davies, 24, regularly uses the rail and tube network to travel from #Grays, Essex to the #Croydon area. Often via #WestHam and #WestCroydon stations. @metpoliceuk are looking at dates from 7th July 2022 onwards.
"Owami may still be regularly travelling by rail in a vulnerable state, appearing dazed or confused and possibly seeking to engage with other lone female travellers."
The Met added: "Owami has been depressed and in the absence of her medication may use alcohol to relieve her depression."
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Essex Police said in a statement that after beginning the missing persons investigation, "it became clear a significant number of inquiries to locate Owami were in London and so the investigation to find her was formally transferred to the Met on July 23".
The force explained: "When someone is reported missing, an assessment is carried out to identify the risk of that person coming to harm, including age, current mental health, and information about their vulnerability to being exploited.
"This risk is regularly reviewed through the investigation.
"A media appeal is often not the first investigative tool an officer leading the search will look at, and a decision about if and when to release an appeal to the media can be impacted on what other investigative lines of inquiry are available, and the wishes of the family.
"Issuing someone's picture and stating publicly that they are missing does, just by the fact they are publicised as missing, indicate that person has a vulnerability.
"If we are able to locate someone without exposing them, and that vulnerability, to that level of public scrutiny then we try and do so.
"However, this is also balanced with the identified immediate risk to that person's welfare."
