Adrian Lynch Investigation. Questions to the States of Jersey Police.

Adrian Lynch.

On the night of the 4/5th of December 2015 twenty year old Adrian Lynch disappeared in the Carrefour Selous area of St Lawrence Jersey. Adrian had attended a works Christmas party at the Merton Hotel. It is now 5 months to the day Adrian was reported missing, he is still missing, and the questions surrounding the police investigation continue to mount.

In our PREVIOUS POSTING we questioned the official line, in particular, the police's apparent theory that Adrian could have developed hypothermia (on a mild winter's night) sought shelter (from what exactly)? and found shelter in a place where nobody could find him including apparently highly trained sniffer dogs. To the vast majority of people we have spoken with, the official line of the States of Jersey Police is not believed. This could be that the police's media strategy is flawed and they are not getting their message across to the public adequately. It could also mean that it is a bungled investigation that lacks money, resources, and experienced officers for this type of investigation. It might also mean there is some type of cover-up. Whatever the case the official police line does not stack up.

With that in mind Team Voice is turning its attention towards the police and its investigation. We have accumulated a number of questions from members of the public/readers of this Blog and elsewhere to put to the police and others. The questions will, after publication on here, be e-mailed to the police, and media, in the hope that they will be answered. We will, of course, publish any answers we get.

Questions surrounding the police investigation of missing person Adrian Lynch.

Why have the police resisted an Island-wide search for Adrian? Why has the search been limited to such a small area on such a small island? Adrian could have been on the other side of the island within 15-20 minutes.

Have the specialy trained sniffer dogs been out searching for Adrian other than within the first two weeks? If not why not?

Are the police satisfied that they have properly searched the designated zones? What/where are the designated zones?

Can the police confirm, or otherwise, that ALL the drivers in the area of the night Adrian went missing have now come forward and have been eliminated as suspects?

We know, along with all States Departments, that the police's budget has been cut. Has there been financial constraints on the search for Adrian? Is it that the police simply can't afford to find/investigate the disappearance of Adrian? If so why doesn't the Home Affairs Minister ask the States for more money? From the Criminal Offences Confiscation fund for instance.

Has the North coast of Jersey been thoroughly searched by land, sea, and air? If not why not?

What are the Terms of Reference (TOR's) for the Adrian Lynch Investigation? What timescale, and budget, was it given? How much of that timescale and budget are left?

When/how long before a missing person case becomes a possible abduction/murder/foul-play investigation?

DCI Lee Turner.

What experience/training does Detective Chief Inspector Lee Turner have in being Senior Investigating Officer in a missing person case?  What experience CAN he have? Cases like these are once in a generation (if that.) Should an outside expert in this field have been brought in from the start?

Are the police being reactive or proactive in this case? Are they looking for any leads or are they just waiting for them to land on their desks?

If Adrian’s surname was Bailhache, or Birt, would he still be missing and the case still unsolved? 

Have the States of Jersey Police sought expert medical opinion on the probability of a young man of Adrian's age and condition becoming hypothermic given the prevailing weather conditions on the night he disappeared? Given the fact that every weekend night of the year, young locals survive an intoxicated walk home without harm, it seems at the very least surprising that the police have not issued a press release confirming that they have received expert medical advice that this is a plausible scenario. Vulnerability to hypothermia is presumably highly variable, so what would the probability be of a presumably healthy young male who has walked a considerable distance on a mild winter's night after consuming a few drinks? 1 in 1,000? 1 in 1 million?

What coherent explanation is there for Adrian discarding his belt and phone? If the working theory is that he was acting irrationally after becoming hypothermic,  is there any evidence that people with hypothermia are prone to discard such items? Is it possible that anybody who has developed hypothermia would have sufficient function in their fingers to be able to remove a belt? 

It has been reported that this investigation has been externally/independently reviewed. Who was it reviewed by? It was also reported that a number of recommendations were made. Crucially what were these recommendations, do the police agree with them, and if so, have they been implemented? Is there another review planned, if so when? If not why not? 

Chief Police Officer Mike Bowron.

Given the high profile of the case will the Chief Officer, Mike Bowron, be making any personal comment?  Why hasn't he made any comment thus far? Will the Home Affairs Minister be making any personal comment?  Have the Police Authority asked for the Chief Officer to report to them on the matter?  Just who, apart from the Blogging community/Social Media is holding the force to account for its performance in this case? 

Who is taking responsibility for this investigation? If it is Chief Officer Mike Bowron, then where is he? Why no public comment from him?  If it is the Home Affairs Minister, then where is she or some kind of statement from her? If it is the Police Authority then has anybody heard from them lately?

Just who is holding who to account for this? What monitoring arrangements are in place and where does the buck stop? Where does the accountability start, or stop, with this investigation? Who's head will be on the chopping block should things go t1ts up?

Do the police know more than they are letting on? If so, then why try and peddle he hypothermia sketch? Why not give the public something more believable?

There has been much speculation involving Adrian's disappearance some of it credible and possibly useful, some of it not so much. Unfortunately this speculation will continue until plausible explanations/answers are given by the police.

Our thoughts are, and will continue to be, with Adrian's family who must be living a nightmare incomprehensible to most.

For related Blogs published by Team Voice on the disappearance/police investigation of Adrian Lynch please click on the labels at the bottom of the posting. Alternatively please click on the links below.

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY FIVE.

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 7/8

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 13/14

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 31/32

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 35/36

Adrian Lynch THE OFFICIAL LINE QUESTIONED.

Adrian Lynch. (The "Official Line" Questioned)

On the night of the 4/5th of December 2015 twenty year old Adrian Lynch disappeared in the Carrefour Selous area of St Lawrence Jersey. Adrian had attended a works Christmas party at the Merton Hotel. He is STILL missing. What Team Voice will be looking at in these Blog Postings is the efforts of the States of Jersey police to find him. Have they done enough? Are they doing enough? Does their official line make sense?

There was an initial large scale search of the surrounding areas but this, according to reports, didn't turn up anything. One of the questions that must be asked is why there hasn't been an Island wide search? We must also remember that the dogs apparently didn't pick up any trace/scent of Adrian.

Here is a list of Adrian's movements on the night in question, the search area, and the last sighting as published in State Media.

Last Known sighting was at 2.17am on the 5th December 2015

Jersey Police have released more details of his last known movements, saying he could have been calling at houses on Rue Du Douet de la Rue.
His last known sighting has also changed; a homeowner saw him on Clos de Devant around 2am, after previous sightings of him at Bon Air Stables.
Below are details of all the known sightings of him from midnight on Friday evening.

0:00 - Adrian is dropped off by a taxi at the junction of La Rue and Ruette D'Avranches.
0:00 - Adrian spoken to by a driver just South of Carrefour Selous.
0:00-0:30 - Two further potential sightings in the same area of Carrefour Selous.
1:00 - Seen by a member of the public in Rue de la Golarde.
1:10 - Seen by a homeowner on Rue de la Gorlarde.
1:30 - Possibly knocking on doors on La Rue du Douet de la Rue.
1:30-2 - Sightings in the area of Bon Air Riding Stables by two witnesses
2:00 - Seen at Clos de Devant, seen by homeowner

Are we saying that in Jersey a person can go missing, there is a week long search, and then that's it? All the reported evidence could point to possible foul play. He hasn't been found lying in a hedge, field or in a barn seeking shelter (shelter from what exactly?) from a mild winters night when he could have just gone home. Where is the public concern? Why haven't the Jersey Media asked the police for answers to the real questions?

Team Voice member Rico Sorda has published 5 Blog Postings on the disappearance of Adrian Lynch. The links to these can be found below. He (Rico) was brave/bold enough to suggest foul play back in December 2015. You can find quotes from the States of Jersey police on these postings.

Adrian Lynch still missing DAY FIVE

Adrian Lynch still missing DAY 7/8.

Adrian Lynch still missing DAY 13/14

Adrian Lynch still missing DAY/31/32

Adrian Lynch still missing DAY 35/36

What concerns Team Voice is that the States of Jersey Police (and State Media) are still peddling the misadventure/hypothermia line. If that is the case why haven't they found him? How could a 20 year old fit boy die of hypothermia in such mild conditions and conceal himself so well that he can't be found?

On the 12th April 2016 Detective Chief Inspector Lee Turner released the below statement that appeared on State Media.

"Jersey Police are appealing to islanders to allow them to help search their outbuildings for missing Jersey man, Adrian Lynch.
Detective Chief Inspector Lee Turner, who is leading the investigation into Adrian’s disappearance, has issued an offer of police help for anyone living within a 2 km radius of Carrefour Selous.
It's now been four months since the 20-year-old went missing on his way home from a work party."

"It’s very possible that Adrian sought shelter that night, perhaps with the intention of lying down to rest and concealing himself for warmth. A large number of outbuildings (sheds, greenhouses, garages etc.) have been searched by police and partner agencies within the designated zones during the extensive searches, in the weeks after Adrian’s disappearance. Many people have already checked their properties themselves, however, due to whatever reason, such as physical impairment for example, some property owners may not have been able to satisfy themselves completely that they have looked as thoroughly as they would have liked.
This offer also applies to any neighbours of unoccupied or derelict sites which they believe may not have been checked."(END)

Surely the police must know what has been searched and what hasn't been searched? They must surely have a list of anyone who has been away for the winter months? These properties normally have a neighbour who would keep an eye out on everything.

"Lying down and concealing himself for warmth"

Really. I mean really???? He has been walking around the Carrefour Selous area for 2hrs 20mins. When Team Voice walked it on a cold winters day we found that you warm up quite nicely. How about the recent reports of two fisherman who were elderly and in the water for 4hrs holding onto their boat? They didn't die of hypothermia. Two pensioners have got the fitness and strength to hold onto an upturned boat for four hours and don't die of hyperthermia yet, according to the police, a 20 year old possibly died of hypothermia walking in country lanes for a couple of hours?

Readers might recall, in November 2013, six fisherman, were rescued from the northern isle "The Ecrehous?" One of the fisherman, Jason Bonhomme, was in the water for five and a half hours, wearing no survival clothing. The sea conditions were horrendous that night, with gusts of up to 64 knots coming from the South. Jason, in 2013, was forty years old (twice the age of Adrian Lynch). Jason told us, when he was eventually rescued, that his core body temperature had plummeted to 27/28 degrees. He explained that the normal core body temperature is 37 degrees, if/when your temperature hits 30 degrees (if not before) you will die of hyperthermia. His core temperature was 2-3 degrees below that and he, it must be said, "remarkably" survived and in such treacherous conditions. Yet the police are telling us somebody half his age could have died of hypothermia, fully clothed, walking the lanes of a country parish on a mild winters night? It doesn't make sense!

The police are also telling us that Adrian could have sought shelter, under a bush, or in an out-building/shed. What could he possibly have had to shelter from? It was a mild night.

From the State Media reports we have seen, the police seem to be ruling out any third party involvement/abduction/murder. How can that be ruled out? To a lay person it makes more sense than the hypothermia/shelter line.

On 13 April 2016 ITV/CTV broadcast, what many see as an insensitive, and distasteful, "news" item concerning the abilities of Jersey police sniffer dogs. In a four minute article, they demonstrated how effective the dogs are by getting one of its "journalists" to hide behind a bush and the dog finding her. Not once during the broadcast was the name Adrian Lynch mentioned. Not once was the question asked; "if the dogs are that good how come they haven't found Adrian?" The (distasteful) "news" item can be seen HERE.

Once more the "official line" of events just don't stack up and some serious questions need to be asked of our police (who, as a force, haven't reportedly been externally reviewed since 2008)

There is a 20 year old boy/son/brother still missing in Jersey and his family deserve answers, they deserve some kind of closure. The public deserve answers.

The media needs to start challenging the official line instead of promoting it. The official line, as mentioned above, doesn't make sense. Adrian's family and the general public deserve better than this from our police and media. Questions need to be asked/answered.