Missing Nurse Owami Davies Found ‘Fit and Well Cared For’ in Hampshire

Missing nurse Owami Davies, captured on a CCTV camera in a shop in Derby Road, West Croydon, south London, on July 7, 2022. Metropolitan Police

Missing nurse, Owami Davies, has been found alive and well in Hampshire six weeks after she disappeared in south London.

Davies, 24, left her family’s home in Grays, Essex, on July 4 and was last seen three days later in Croydon, south London.

Five men were arrested on suspicion of kidnap or murder—all of whom have been released on bail—but it appears Davies came to no harm.

Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Penney, who had been leading the investigation, said on Tuesday: “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 said she appeared “fit and well cared for” and thanked the media for assisting in the appeal.

Police said someone called them at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday after seeing media appeals.

Detectives had been trawling through 40,000 hours of CCTV footage in a bid to trace her movements after she was last seen just after midnight in Derby Road, West Croydon on July 7.

Nicol Davies, the mother of missing student nurse Owami Davies, wipes away tears as she speaks to the media at New Scotland Yard, central London, on Aug. 3, 2022. PA

Earlier this month, her mother, Nicol, said: “There are many friends and family who love and care for Owami and all of them want to see her safe return. Every day we hope to hear the news that Owami is coming back to us.”

Investigation Handed Over to Met by Essex Police

Her family reported her missing to Essex Police two days after she left home but the investigation was handed over to the Metropolitan Police on July 23.

It has since emerged police officers had contact with Davies on July 6, but were not aware she had been reported missing.

The Met said, in a statement, officers were called to an address in Clarendon Road, Croydon, because of concerns over the welfare of a woman but she told them she did not want any help and left before an ambulance crew arrived.

Police searching for missing nurse Owami Davies outside a property in Derby Road, West Croydon, south London, on Aug. 3, 2022. PA

The matter has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Essex Police issued a statement, explaining their role. They said, “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.”

“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,” they added.

PA Media contributed to this report.