On 7 November 2017, Gaia Pope-Sutherland left her aunt’s home in Swanage. She was alone without a coat, phone or medication for her epilepsy – and she was, quite clearly, in a state of high distress. 

Four days after the 19-year-old was reported missing, Dorset police released CCTV footage that seemingly implicated her childhood friend Nathan and his grandmother in her disappearance. Both were arrested on suspicion of murder and were released without charge, but their reputations were left in tatters.

Meanwhile, Gaia’s clothes were discovered strewn across Dancing Ledge – a coastal clifftop near the family’s home. Another name came into the frame for Gaia’s family: a man, five years older than Gaia, who she’d been seeing. Further clues were also uncovered in her final social media posts.

Watch the trailer for Gaia: A Death On Dancing Ledge below.

As anyone who followed the story at the time will undoubtedly remember, Gaia’s body was eventually found deep in undergrowth on Dancing Ledge. She had died of hypothermia. 

Now, for the very first time, Gaia’s story will be told in Gaia: A Death On Dancing Ledge. And, in the powerful three-part series, Zara McDermott will explore whether enough was done in advance of Gaia’s death to protect and support her – not to mention other young women and girls in the area.

In a statement, Gaia’s family – her mum (Kim), dad (Richard), twin sister (Maya) and older sister (Clara) – said: “Gaia would have been 25 earlier this month. Our hearts ache thinking about everything she was and all the possibilities of what she could have become.

“With the release of this series, we’re clinging on to the hope that we can be part of the change Gaia so desperately needed.

“We want young people and survivors watching to know that they are not alone; there are people and organisations that will listen to and support you.

“In speaking up, united we can eliminate the perpetuation of rape culture in society and hold the authorities that are meant to protect us to account.”

McDermott, meanwhile, said: “When I first heard about the disappearance of 19-year-old Gaia on the news in 2017, I was immediately struck by her story. She and I were the same age. I saw Gaia’s face on the news for days and days after this, and it really struck a chord with me.

“A young woman with the world at her feet, yet her life was over before it had even begun. I began diving deeper into Gaia’s story, alongside her brave family, and I uncovered a huge amount in the year and a half I spent down in Dorset. 

“This young woman needed a voice, and I wanted to tell her story.”

Gaia: A Death On Dancing Ledge will air at 9pm on BBC Three and iPlayer on 25 July. 

Images: BBC