A massive search was launched in the UK when Nigerian student Richard Okorogheye, 19, vanished. After leaving his residence in Ladbroke Grove, West London, on the evening of March 22, 2021, he was reported missing on March 22. On April 5, 2021, his corpse was discovered in Epping Forest, and since then, a lot of doubts have been raised about how he passed away.
The situation involving Richard Okorogheye has rekindled discussion about how the police in the UK handle Black people and other minorities. Numerous proposals for broad changes to address these concerns have been made in response to allegations of systematic racism and prejudice against the Police.
What happened when Richard Okorogheye went missing?
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On the evening of March 22, 2021, Richard Okorogheye was last seen leaving his residence in Ladbroke Grove, West London, according to surveillance video. He was carrying a black bag and wearing just black clothing, including a black puffa jacket. Later, he was seen on camera boarding a bus in Ladbroke Grove that brought him to Loughton, Essex, where he was last captured on camera going in the direction of Epping Forest.
Richard was the target of a national search that included volunteers, the public, and the police. Richard’s corpse was discovered in Epping Forest on April 5, 2021, after a two-week search.
Richard Okorogheye: Did He Commit Suicide? Murder or Suicide
Regarding whether Richard Okorogheye’s death was a suicide or a homicide, the circumstances surrounding it have generated a lot of discussion. His death was not being investigated by the police at first, but they subsequently changed their tune and claimed they were keeping an open mind. A post-mortem investigation was performed, however, it was unable to determine the exact cause of death.
Richard’s death was eventually declared to be a murder, and a murder inquiry was opened by the police. They claimed to be investigating many lines of investigation and to be maintaining an open mind about the murder’s motivation.
The Police, however, said in June 2021 that they no longer considered Richard’s death to be a homicide and that they thought he had committed suicide. The evidence, according to them, indicated that he had been in the forest for some time before his corpse was discovered and that there was no indication that a third party was involved in his death.
Family of Okorogheye rejects Met Police’s apology
In August 2021, the Met Police expressed regret to Richard’s family for not recognizing his disappearance as a high-risk missing person investigation right away. Following an independent investigation into how the Police handled Richard’s case, which revealed that the Police had not adhered to all of its policies and procedures, the Met Police issued an apology.
The Metropolitan Police apologized to Richard’s family for any errors in the inquiry in a statement issued on June 11, 2021. According to the statement, the inquiry did not live up to the “high standards” that the public had set for it, and the Police had “let Richard and his family down.”
The statement was backed by a report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which concluded that the Police response had “shortcomings and gaps” and that they had made “no meaningful progress” during the first four days of the inquiry. Richard’s family, in a statement issued on June 14, 2021, rejected the apology, claiming it was too late.
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