Mystery shrouds death of Emirates' stewardess Evelyn

Mystery continues to shroud the sudden death of British national Evelyn Rose Clarke, even as friends and family recalled the colourful life of the young airline stewardess who plunged to her death from a residential building in Bur Dubai earlier this week. Liked for her “warm and loving nature”, while complimented for her powerful singing voice, the young 28-year-old Scot arrived in Dubai a few years ago from Bonnie in Scotland with four other friends and dreams of a career for herself with Emirates. Who knew, within a few short years, her life would end so tragically, leaving behind many unanswered questions and a night cloaked in secrecy. ‘Evelyn’s smile was infectious’ Piecing together her life until that fateful April 8 morning in a residential building in Al Mankhool, Bur Dubai, a Facebook memorial page anecdotes about her from her family and friends, who refer to her as the “life of the party”, who, from a young age, had a “zest and smile that was infectious and simply lit up a room.” Clarke was a precocious child who enjoyed watching shows such as ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, and loved prettying up in front of the mirror. In late 1998, young Clarke also dabbled a bit in media, “presenting a weekly programme on the hospital radio station at Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine from 1998 until 2000,” recalled one friend who presented a show with her during that time. Another recalled meeting her in mid-2000, when Clarke decided to enrol in a beauty course, before venturing into aviation by getting a job at London’s Gatwick Airport. A few years later, her love of adventure saw her switch to cabin crew, signing up with Thomas Cook Airlines, where her “compassion and winning personality” won her many friends and hearts. But a greater purpose awaited her, and a job with Emirates was got soon. Fellow mate P S wrote: “Evelyn, we all started out on a journey together – five girls from Bonnie, Scotland moving out to Dubai. I will never forget our joining flight, we had the best laugh and you made us all at ease during a very anxious time. I never thought it would end like this.” Clarke appeared to be a well-loved flight attendant with this incident shared by CQ who wrote: “On a flight to Brisbane we had a very old woman on board, who had dementia. She was dazed and confused and Evelyn checked on this lady literally every few minutes for 14 hours, without hesitation and the woman felt comforted by Evelyn’s attentive nature; another passenger called and told her she was a patient and caring individual and he was glad she was on that flight to care for the lady.” Fateful night Even as her parents, brother, friends and colleague come to terms with their grief, questions still remain regarding Clarke’s whereabouts on Sunday night that led her in the wee hours into the Afaf Building from where she would never exit alive. According to reports, Clarke spent Sunday night out on the town, and was discovered in the Afaf Building at 4.15am on Monday morning. How she arrived there remains unsolved, while reports suggest she actually lived one block away in the Emirates staff residences behind Spinneys. “She had never entered this building before,” confirmed a staff employee from Afaf, speaking to Emirates 24|7. “When we found her, she was hysterical. She kept screaming someone was after her, was trying to kill her. She identified him as male and feared for her life.” The security staff member said earlier: “It was around 4.15am and the night shift watchman was in his quarters, in the washroom, when he heard a noise in the lobby, along with the sound of the elevator being called. “Curious, he went up to the first floor and found our regular newspaper delivery boy dropping the morning edition. When the security asked him to not make a racket, it was the delivery boy who informed him that a barefoot woman had entered the building and seemed quite scared.” The security guard on duty had to check the floors twice before heading to the seven-storey building’s two-level rooftop. The rooftop comprises two floors in Afaf, with the lower level housing the gymnasium, with a stairwell connecting to the upper level roof, which, the guard said, always remains locked. According to an eye witness, the stairwell was filled with smoke when the door was opened, with clear indication that a fire extinguisher had been deployed. He continued: “There was smoke everywhere and the fire alarm was also triggered. We were blinded for just a few minutes but by then she had fallen through the open window on the stairwell. There was nothing anyone could do.” The staff employee was unclear whether she fell or jumped. “But there was no one else there. She was not pushed,” he added. Questions remain Puzzled residents of the building wonder what Clarke was doing in the building in the first place. But wild theories abound. One neighbour said: “Maybe she was taken to one of those dodgy massage parlours that are hidden away in the area and she escaped from the