As the force’s handling of the case faces increased scrutiny, it has emerged that Scotland Yard released CCTV images on August 3 which showed Davies in a shop in Croydon but actually showed another woman. The Met quickly apologized and withdrew the images and republished Davies’ photos. Recalling the images, the Met said: “We previously released two CCTV still images of a woman in a shop called Owami Davies shop 1/2. These images are not Owami’s – please remove them from any posts. We will send the correct images as soon as possible and apologize for this error.” Davies, from Grays in Essex, left her family home on July 4 and was last seen shortly after midnight on July 7 in Derby Road, West Croydon. On Monday, a Met spokesman said: “The image was published in error and was removed as soon as it was realised. We have proactively engaged with the media throughout the investigation and have so far issued nine appeals for information. “Our efforts to find Owami are being led by a team of detectives from the Met’s special crime branch who are experts in complex investigations. They are supported by resources from local policing teams and are working day and night to pursue every possible line of inquiry.” The spokesman continued: “Officers have recovered more than 50,000 hours of CCTV and viewed 10,000 hours as they work to confirm potential sightings and trace Owami’s movements. They are continuing to conduct additional patrols in the area where he was last seen in an effort to identify new drivers. “We have proactively engaged with the media, issuing appeals and sharing CCTV footage and images of Owami as soon as we confirm her sightings. From our first precautionary appeal we made it clear that she was vulnerable and that we were concerned for her welfare. We also continue to support her family at a very difficult time.” Investigators are investigating 117 reported sightings of Davies, who had experienced bouts of depression in the past requiring medical treatment and had also used alcohol to cope with the condition. During a briefing with reporters on Monday, DCI Nigel Penney said: “There is no evidence that he has been harmed. We are still hopeful that we will find her alive and well.” Asked if she could be sleeping rough, he said: “We’re open to all possibilities and that’s a current working case, that she’s in this current situation with her life.” At the weekend, the Independent Office for Policing Conduct (IOPC) said it was considering investigating Scotland Yard after it emerged officers had made contact with the student nurse on the day she was reported missing. Davies’ family reported her missing to Essex Police on July 6 and the force handed the investigation over to the Met Police on July 23. On Saturday the Met revealed that its officers had spoken to Davies on July 6. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. In a statement, the force said officers were called to an address in Clarendon Road, Croydon, following concerns for the welfare of a woman. Police attended and called the London Ambulance Service before speaking to the woman. He told officers he did not want help and left the address before the ambulance service could attend. Owami was not marked as missing in the police database at the time. The Met only later identified the woman as Davies, as a result of a missing person investigation. The force said its professional standards body had been consulted and was not investigating the officers. However, it said that the IOPC had requested that the matter be referred to it. The Met has issued several appeals for information about Davies’ whereabouts and arrested five people – two on suspicion of murder and three on suspicion of kidnapping – who were later released on bail. The force issued a new appeal early last week, saying Davies may be in Croydon and “needs help”. On Thursday, British Transport Police (BTP) tweeted that the 24-year-old could be regularly traveling on trains, may appear dazed or confused and may be seeking to pick on women traveling alone. The Met said: “Owami was depressed and in the absence of medication she may use alcohol to relieve her depression.”
