Owami Davies: Three men arrested over disappearance released without charge

Three men who were arrested in connection with the disappearance of student nurse Owami Davies have been released without charge after Ms Davies was found alive and well.

The metropolitan police has said it will take no further action against the two men, 27 and 23, arrested on suspicion of murder, nor against the 32-year-old man arrested on suspicion of kidnapping.

However, two other men who were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping in August have been released under investigation.

After a seven-week search Ms Davies was discovered in Hampshire on 23 August as a result of calls to the police after she went missing from her home in Greys, Essex, on 4 July.

Ms Davies was discovered ‘fit and well cared for’, according to the Met, and her family have been informed and have spoke with the 24-year-old.

Detective chief inspector Nigel Penney, who has been leading the case, said: ‘This is the outcome we were all hoping and praying for. My team have been working around the clock to find Owami and we are immensely relieved she has been found.

Guy and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, where Ms Davies worked, also welcomed the news of her safe discovery, tweeting: ‘We are delighted that our colleague Owami has been found and is safe. Thank you to everyone who helped to find her’.

‘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.’

During the investigation, several facts emerged that sparked criticism of the Met and Essex Police forces handling on the case. In one incident, Scotland Yard revealed that officers had spoken with Ms Davies at an address in Croydon on the day she was reported missing. At that time, however, the Met’s files had not been updated with the Essex police’s report and the incident was not followed up on.

In another case, the Met released images of the wrong woman, falsely claiming that these were images of Ms Davies.

However. the The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has decline the opportunity to take action over the case, saying that since Owami Davies is alive and well ‘the referral not does not meet the criteria for a local death or serious injury (DSI) referral’.