The mysterious disappearance of Sarah Everard initially gripped the United Kingdom, but it has now attracted international attention. The nature of the disappearance, the internet’s reaction to it, and the potential involvement of the police have turned the eyes of the world on Clapham, south London.
Women across the country have made insistent calls to the government to enforce measures to ensure their protection. Organizers have planned a ‘Reclaim These Streets’ vigil for Saturday evening on Clapham Common, but police have blocked it, citing pandemic lockdown restrictions. The organizers are planning to go to court to overturn the court’s decision.
Authorities have confirmed that Sarah Everard is dead after recovering her body. This piece will detail everything we know about her disappearance and death.
Sarah was last seen walking alone at 9:30 PM after leaving her friend’s house half an hour earlier
On the evening of 3rd March 2021 at 9 PM, Sarah Everard left her friend’s house on Leathwaite Road, Clapham. A doorbell camera captured Sarah walking alone along Poynder Road towards Tulse Hill at 9:30 PM. According to The Evening Standard, Sarah had made a 15-minute call to her boyfriend after leaving her friend’s house.
The boyfriend, Josh Lowth, reportedly alerted the police after Sarah failed to show up. She was wearing a bright-green raincoat, white-and-blue patterned pants, green headphones, and a white beanie when she was last captured on camera. Two days after she was last seen Police asked for the public’s help via Twitter.
“We are increasingly concerned for the missing Sarah Everard, 33, from Brixton,” the tweet read. The police released CCTV footage of Everard and urged residents of the area to check their cameras for potential sightings of Sarah. A day later, Sarah’s family released a statement claiming that it was out of character for Everard to ‘disappear like this.’
The police visited more than 750 homes searching for Sarah and received more than 120 calls from the public regarding the case. On 11th March 2021, Sarah’s family released another statement thanking everyone for their help and urging people with information to offer it to authorities. The statement read:
“We would especially like to thank Sarah’s friends who are working tirelessly to help. We are so grateful to the police and would like to thank them for all they are doing. We are now pleading for additional help from the public. Please come forward and speak to the police if you have any information. No piece of information is too insignificant. Thank you.”
The arrest of a Met police officer in connection to Sarah’s disappearance sent shockwaves across the United Kingdom
The Sarah Everard saga took an unexpected twist after a Met police officer was arrested in connection to Sarah’s disappearance. The officer, who according to The Guardian is 48-year-old Wayne Couzens, was taken into custody on suspicion of kidnapping, but the charge was late escalated to murder. A woman in her 30s was also arrested on suspicion of helping the suspect.
Met didn’t confirm the officer’s identity, but he is a member of the Met’s diplomatic protection unit. The news that a police officer might have been involved in Sarah’s disappearance sent shockwaves across the United Kingdom. An angry public demonstrated its shock and discontent via social media. The Met Police Commissioner, Dame Cressida, released a statement saying:
“But I completely understand that despite this, women in London and the wider public – particularly those in the area where Sarah went missing – will be worried and may well be feeling scared. I speak on behalf of all my colleagues in the Met when I say were are utterly appalled at this dreadful news. Our job is to patrol the streets and to protect people.”
On 11th March 2021, the suspect was taken to hospital after suffering head injuries. According to The Sun, Wayne was found unconscious in his cell and was given first aid before being rushed to hospital. According to the source, the head wound appeared to be self-inflicted. The Telegraph reports that Wayne was returned to custody after treatment.
Sarah Everard remains were discovered in a woodland in neighboring Ashford, Kent
On 11th March 2021, Commissioner Dame Cressida announced that officers searching near Ashford in Kent had ‘found, very sadly, what appears to be human remains.’ The widespread assumption is that they are Sarah’s remains, but head of the Met Cressida Dick stressed that it will take some time before the Police can confirm any identity. Following the announcement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted:
“I am shocked and deeply saddened by the developments in the Sarah Everard investigation. Like the whole country, my thoughts are with her family and friends. We must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime.”
Authorities confirmed that the remains discovered near Ashford were those of Sarah Everard via an announcement made on 12th March by Met assistant commissioner Nick Ephgrave. Nick said:
“The body has now been recovered and a formal identification procedure has been undertaken. I can now confirm that this is the body of Sarah Everard.”
Sarah Everard worked as a marketing executive after graduating from Durham University
Sarah Everard was raised in York by her father, Jeremy, a professor of electronics at York University, and her mother, Sue, a charity worker. She grew up alongside her older siblings Katie and James.
Everard attended Fulford School in York before studying human geography at St. Cuthbert’s College at Durham University from 2005 to 2008. After graduation, she moved to London to work as a marketing account manager.
She lived in Brixton alongside many young professionals new to London. Everard had plenty of friends around the Clapham Common area, where she was abducted. She is dating marketing director Josh Lowth, who lives a couple of streets from Everard.
Everard’s friends and family have launched a massive campaign on social media asking for information regarding Sarah’s whereabouts. A relative speaking to MailOnline said:
“We are concerned, like everybody is. We really, really want to see her back. The whole family is obviously worried about her and just wants her home safely. We’re all pulling together and praying that this awful situation is quickly resolved.”