Investigation into police response to a missing person report – Essex Police, April 2023

In April 2023, a woman called 999 in the early hours of the morning to report concerns for her daughter, who had not returned home. The daughter was living with her mother and her two children. 

A police staff employee working as an assessment officer checked relevant police computer systems and found information showing that the daughter was a repeat victim of domestic abuse carried out by her ex-partner. There were seven investigations linked to her. 

The police staff employee completed an intelligence report containing this information, including a brief description of two of the seven investigations. One of these descriptions referred to the daughter as a suspect in a domestic abuse incident. No checks were made on the daughter’s ex-partner. This report was used by an acting inspector in his risk assessment of the incident. 

The acting inspector reviewed the intelligence report and set the risk level as low. They requested officers visit the mother’s home to get more information. They tried calling the daughter’s phone, but it went to voicemail. They left a message and tried to call the number a few more times.

The acting inspector requested two officers drive past the ex-partner’s house to see if the daughter’s car was there. The officers did not see her car and proceeded on to the mother’s house. The mother did not want the police to search the ex-partner’s home as she believed this could put her daughter at risk. She explained that there was a restraining order against her daughter’s ex-partner – something which had not been identified in the intelligence report. 

The acting inspector was informed that the mother was very concerned about her daughter and that text messages being sent to her phone were not being delivered. The acting inspector decided to raise the risk level to medium. The daughter had now been missing for 12 hours. 

That same day, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) contacted Essex Police to inform them that the daughter’s ex-partner had walked into a police station reporting that something had happened to his partner and children. He was described as in an emotional and dishevelled state, and a flag on his address showed multiple domestic violence incidents, including harassment charges against him. The acting inspector at Essex Police changed the risk level to high, and the MPS requested that an urgent welfare check was made at the ex-partner’s home. Officers visited the mother’s home to check on the welfare of the children. 

Essex Police forced entry into the ex-partner’s home and found the daughter unconscious. Paramedics confirmed the daughter had sadly died. The daughter’s ex-partner was arrested for her murder and was found guilty in February 2025. He received a life sentence with a minimum of 18 years. 

We received a death or serious injury referral from the force and decided to independently investigate whether the police adhered to relevant legislation, policy, and guidance in their response to the missing person report. 

We examined whether the risk assessments made by the police were appropriate and what information this was based on, whether their actions were appropriate, and whether their actions or inactions caused or contributed to the daughter’s death. 

We examined information on police computer systems, including a database used to record crime reports, the command and control system recording all incidents reported to the police, the police national computer holding information about offending behaviour (including a person's convictions, cautions, warnings or reprimands, as well as dates and outcomes of criminal justice proceedings), and a missing persons case management system used to record and manage missing person investigations. 

We examined the intelligence report submitted to the acting inspector, and police email correspondence. We interviewed the acting inspector and the police staff employee and took statements from other officers involved in the incident. 

We concluded there was no indication that a person serving with the police committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner to justify disciplinary proceedings. 

We found that while the acting inspector did not breach of the standards of professional behaviour, their performance fell short of the expectations of the public and the police. 

The intelligence report submitted to the acting inspector referenced seven investigations relating to the daughter and her ex-partner. Given the high risks associated with domestic violence and the potential for escalation, there was a missed opportunity to obtain further detail about these other investigations. While understandably the acting inspector may not have had time to conduct their own research and relied on the intelligence report provided by the police staff employee, they could have tasked someone else to review these other investigations and provide relevant detail. 

We found the tactical decision made by the acting inspector not to visit the ex-partner’s home to be reasonable at that early stage of the investigation as part of a risk assessment. However, it would have been appropriate for a rationale to have been recorded at the time for why this potentially relevant line of enquiry was not being pursued and when that decision should be reviewed. 

We recommended that the acting inspector would benefit from the reflective practice review process (RPRP). This process allows officers to learn from and reflect on what could have been done better. 

We found that the daughter had been recorded as a suspect in a domestic abuse incident in the intelligence report – information which could potentially have influenced future handling of the missing person investigation. While this record was relevant in one of the seven investigations linked to the daughter, the acting inspector did not receive all the intelligence regarding all the incidents in which the daughter had been a victim. This was important information and care ought to have been taken to make sure intelligence was recorded and shared accurately. 

The police staff employee resigned from the force before our investigation concluded. As they were no longer a serving member of Essex Police, no decision about a potential breach of the police standards of behaviour could be made. 

We found that the daughter had died before her mother called the police. Therefore, the actions or inactions of the police could not have contributed to her death.

We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We make learning recommendations to improve policing and public confidence in the police complaints system and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents. 

We did not identify any organisational learning in this case.