Body on the Beach: What Happened to Annie? on iPlayer
Discussion
Anyone watched this on iPlayer?
It's a 4-parter on a journalist looking into the circumstances of how the body of a 30 year old woman, who was Swedish but was living in Edinburgh, was found on a beach in Prestwick in December 2005.
The official cause of death was drowning and the Scottish police ruled there was no crime, but the documentary brought up some interesting stuff - it didn't reach a conclusion though.
Possibility of the security services being involved? Mobile call logs wiped? Diatoms in her bone marrow that would normally be found if she died in fresh water? Bruises on her body noticed by undertakers & her family back home in Sweden but not noted on the autopsy report? The mysterious famous Rugby player? Scottish police refusing to release the autopsy pictures? Grainy CCTV footage that the police say is likely Annie walking towards Prestwick from the airport? Why was her hair cut (or pulled out) when her body was found?
It's a 4-parter on a journalist looking into the circumstances of how the body of a 30 year old woman, who was Swedish but was living in Edinburgh, was found on a beach in Prestwick in December 2005.
The official cause of death was drowning and the Scottish police ruled there was no crime, but the documentary brought up some interesting stuff - it didn't reach a conclusion though.
Possibility of the security services being involved? Mobile call logs wiped? Diatoms in her bone marrow that would normally be found if she died in fresh water? Bruises on her body noticed by undertakers & her family back home in Sweden but not noted on the autopsy report? The mysterious famous Rugby player? Scottish police refusing to release the autopsy pictures? Grainy CCTV footage that the police say is likely Annie walking towards Prestwick from the airport? Why was her hair cut (or pulled out) when her body was found?
I watched it yesterday. Quite an interesting story, and like you say, had no conclusions or real revelations, but that's the same for most 'true crime' stories.
Things like mentioning the secret services seemed to be far fetched other than the one email/letter to the Swedish authorities saying the Scottish Police couldn't give out all the info for reasons of national security (or similar) that's probably just a basic excuse to get them to go away.
They seemed to gloss over any mention of whether there were flights from Prestwick to Sweden at that time, would that be the better airport to use than Edinburgh or Glasgow? (Even if she had the money for a ticket which they suggested she didn't)
Things like mentioning the secret services seemed to be far fetched other than the one email/letter to the Swedish authorities saying the Scottish Police couldn't give out all the info for reasons of national security (or similar) that's probably just a basic excuse to get them to go away.
They seemed to gloss over any mention of whether there were flights from Prestwick to Sweden at that time, would that be the better airport to use than Edinburgh or Glasgow? (Even if she had the money for a ticket which they suggested she didn't)
Truckosaurus said:
I watched it yesterday. Quite an interesting story, and like you say, had no conclusions or real revelations, but that's the same for most 'true crime' stories.
Things like mentioning the secret services seemed to be far fetched other than the one email/letter to the Swedish authorities saying the Scottish Police couldn't give out all the info for reasons of national security (or similar) that's probably just a basic excuse to get them to go away.
They seemed to gloss over any mention of whether there were flights from Prestwick to Sweden at that time, would that be the better airport to use than Edinburgh or Glasgow? (Even if she had the money for a ticket which they suggested she didn't)
Looks like it was maybe just us two that watched it eh! Things like mentioning the secret services seemed to be far fetched other than the one email/letter to the Swedish authorities saying the Scottish Police couldn't give out all the info for reasons of national security (or similar) that's probably just a basic excuse to get them to go away.
They seemed to gloss over any mention of whether there were flights from Prestwick to Sweden at that time, would that be the better airport to use than Edinburgh or Glasgow? (Even if she had the money for a ticket which they suggested she didn't)
Yea, I'd like to know why Prestwick airport, I appreciate Annie died just over 17 years ago but there are flights to Sweden from Edinburgh now, perhaps 17 years ago Prestwick was the only airport in Scotland that had flights to Sweden though?
The story about her following a guy home and walking into his home without knocking was a weird one too.
My partner and I binged all four episodes last night and had more questions than answers. Taking away all the cloak and dagger spy stuff (too far fetched and tenuous to be credible) and the State secret it has now become, the real issue seems to be did she jump or was she pushed?
We both came to the conclusion she was probably in a very bad place and managed to hide it quite well up until the trip to the airport. The various things around the rugby payer, walking into the blokes house unannounced etc. etc. made it seem like she was heading for some sort of mental breakdown.
When she was denied £50 at the ATM, she still went on to the airport, presumably without a booked ticket and with no way of paying for it, other than phoning Mum, which she doesn't appear to have done. No wonder she looked shocked in that CCTV image of her getting back into the airport - no job, only a month until she had to pay the next rent on her accommodation and virtually no friends or family in the country. Was that inability to fly back home the last straw?
Questions still to be answered in my head non the less:
1. Did she actually get to a ticket desk and attempt to buy a ticket home? If she was denied, why didn't she call someone at home to pay for it?
2. Why was her hair cut and when? It must have been in the 16 hours between the last sighting and being found. Was it a case of Trichotemnomania? (a la Britney Spears)
3. When did the supposed bruising take place? Again probably done in the last 16 hours between the last sighting and being found, but could it have been self-inflicted? (I know the psychologist said that doesn't happen).
There was no discussion of Livor mortis, which can be delayed in cold environments, see https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10736761/
4.The freshwater Diatoms? I'm thinking they may already have been in her bones from the past and she may have died of cold shock response (it was Scottish Winter) before succumbing to drowning. She was by all accounts a good swimmer.
I'd like to see a follow up to the series and a bit more independent medical investigation, but it was thought provoking.
We both came to the conclusion she was probably in a very bad place and managed to hide it quite well up until the trip to the airport. The various things around the rugby payer, walking into the blokes house unannounced etc. etc. made it seem like she was heading for some sort of mental breakdown.
When she was denied £50 at the ATM, she still went on to the airport, presumably without a booked ticket and with no way of paying for it, other than phoning Mum, which she doesn't appear to have done. No wonder she looked shocked in that CCTV image of her getting back into the airport - no job, only a month until she had to pay the next rent on her accommodation and virtually no friends or family in the country. Was that inability to fly back home the last straw?
Questions still to be answered in my head non the less:
1. Did she actually get to a ticket desk and attempt to buy a ticket home? If she was denied, why didn't she call someone at home to pay for it?
2. Why was her hair cut and when? It must have been in the 16 hours between the last sighting and being found. Was it a case of Trichotemnomania? (a la Britney Spears)
3. When did the supposed bruising take place? Again probably done in the last 16 hours between the last sighting and being found, but could it have been self-inflicted? (I know the psychologist said that doesn't happen).
There was no discussion of Livor mortis, which can be delayed in cold environments, see https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10736761/
4.The freshwater Diatoms? I'm thinking they may already have been in her bones from the past and she may have died of cold shock response (it was Scottish Winter) before succumbing to drowning. She was by all accounts a good swimmer.
I'd like to see a follow up to the series and a bit more independent medical investigation, but it was thought provoking.
An interesting programme, if a little long for what it really was.
I didn't buy that you had to be out of your depth to drown- it is technically possible to drown in very shallow water indeed. The test 'body', bag and coat washing up together just as the real items had been found was very telling, too.
I also thought that too much was made of her going outside the airport terminal- clearly she just went outside to smoke- and the expression on her face as she came back in was over-played too.
Odd, but sadly perhaps not as odd as a grieving family are thinking.
I didn't buy that you had to be out of your depth to drown- it is technically possible to drown in very shallow water indeed. The test 'body', bag and coat washing up together just as the real items had been found was very telling, too.
I also thought that too much was made of her going outside the airport terminal- clearly she just went outside to smoke- and the expression on her face as she came back in was over-played too.
Odd, but sadly perhaps not as odd as a grieving family are thinking.
Im halfway through and lived in Edinburgh at the time, so remember it.
Yeh bit slow and long atm and rather too much being read into her facial expression as she came back into the airport. Sure one of them said 'you can see she is traumatised' or something. Looked almost exactly like someone walking through a door to me.
However, i havnt got to the rugby house part yet !
Yeh bit slow and long atm and rather too much being read into her facial expression as she came back into the airport. Sure one of them said 'you can see she is traumatised' or something. Looked almost exactly like someone walking through a door to me.
However, i havnt got to the rugby house part yet !
So much odd in this program...
1. Id have thought it takes a while for a diatome to get from lungs into bone marrow. The specialist said as much but this was kind of ignored and the mere presence of fresh water diatomes was deemed suspicious.
2. The swiss police sent shed loads of info. But the fact the gov wouldn't release inter-embassy coms was also deemed to be highly suspicious. However it was not made clear if inter-embassy coms were 'state secrets' rather than the case.
3. The test 'body' wetsuit thing was supposed to be same weight as victim but the specialist was carrying it under one arm along with a bag and big ol coat. Not likely he could do same with a grown woman.
I think the presenter may be a bit too involved in the story. She kind of admitted as much at the end.
Suicide. V sad.
1. Id have thought it takes a while for a diatome to get from lungs into bone marrow. The specialist said as much but this was kind of ignored and the mere presence of fresh water diatomes was deemed suspicious.
2. The swiss police sent shed loads of info. But the fact the gov wouldn't release inter-embassy coms was also deemed to be highly suspicious. However it was not made clear if inter-embassy coms were 'state secrets' rather than the case.
3. The test 'body' wetsuit thing was supposed to be same weight as victim but the specialist was carrying it under one arm along with a bag and big ol coat. Not likely he could do same with a grown woman.
I think the presenter may be a bit too involved in the story. She kind of admitted as much at the end.
Suicide. V sad.
Bang on evidence from the expert, her jacket and bag stayed close to her body
as hit the shore, and the dummy body was found a few feet from where Annie was
found, she was seen very far out in the bay by a good witness, who else could it have been ?
Sorry but whose opinion should we believe when it come to bruises on a cadaver,
a professional forensic pathologist who examined the body hours after death
or an undertaker who saw the body two weeks later ?
Annie's erratic behaviour leading up to that day [ travelling 50 miles to an airport
with no ticket and no money ! ] surely leads us to the likely answer.
as hit the shore, and the dummy body was found a few feet from where Annie was
found, she was seen very far out in the bay by a good witness, who else could it have been ?
Sorry but whose opinion should we believe when it come to bruises on a cadaver,
a professional forensic pathologist who examined the body hours after death
or an undertaker who saw the body two weeks later ?
Annie's erratic behaviour leading up to that day [ travelling 50 miles to an airport
with no ticket and no money ! ] surely leads us to the likely answer.
Watched it all and don't really know what to make of it. Is the Amy Winehouse look alike journo actually a real person or played by an actor ?. She seems to just be playing to the camera and spending all her time on google. Is she auditioning for a part in Silent Witness ?. As to the death of Annie, mental health breakdown, depression, paranoia , ----------> SUICIDE. Case closed.
Edited by Rider007 on Sunday 16th July 04:42
I found it fascinating, first I’d heard of this case and wanted to know what happened.
I wondered whether her flight booking/data record had been wiped too, to get people to believe she had no ticket, unless I missed something?
What a sad loss of life, whatever happened. I also found it strange the case is protected as a state secret now, that poses so many questions…
I wondered whether her flight booking/data record had been wiped too, to get people to believe she had no ticket, unless I missed something?
What a sad loss of life, whatever happened. I also found it strange the case is protected as a state secret now, that poses so many questions…
2HFL said:
...I wondered whether her flight booking/data record had been wiped too, to get people to believe she had no ticket, unless I missed something?…
They didn't seem to mention anything about a booking so I suspect there wasn't one as otherwise they'd have made a point about her not getting on the plane.Gassing Station | TV, Film, Streaming & Radio | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff