Jess Hardiman
The police force searching for Gaynor Lord have revealed why she’s a ‘high priority’ missing person, following her disappearance last week.
Lord, 55, has been missing since she left work at Jarrolds department store in Norwich on the afternoon of Friday 8 December, with police releasing CCTV footage capturing her walking towards the cathedral:
She had not been due to finish her shift until 4pm, but was seen leaving at 2.45pm.
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Her possessions were later found in Wensum Park just after 8pm, with the mother-of-three identified from ID found in her handbag.
Lord’s clothing - which she had been wearing when she went missing and included a white shirt, yellow tank top, two rings and her mobile phone and glasses - were found in the park in various locations, while her olive-coloured coat was discovered in the water.
Norfolk Constabulary said it was ‘likely’ that Lord ‘may have entered the water’, saying this continues to be the focus of the searches.
The force's Supt Wes Hornigold said Lord is ‘high-priority’ as it was very out of character for her to vanish like this.
“Gaynor has been a high-priority missing person from the outset because of the nature of her disappearance and because this is so out of character,” Hornigold said.
"As time goes by our concerns increase - as do the family’s as well, so we are growing increasingly concerned for her welfare.
“We are working with people in the cathedral to try and understand what happened.”
It is thought Lord may have met someone at the cathedral before she vanished, with Hornigold adding: “The cathedral is currently a focus for us, there’s lots of work we are doing there to establish what happened in the gap in CCTV.
“We are working with people in the cathedral to try and understand what happened.”
Lord’s step-brother Allan Weston reiterated how out-of-form her disappearance was, making a desperate appeal for information.
He said: "We just hope she comes back safe.
“If anyone does know anything please come forward.
“It's been a few days now since she went missing so we are very worried. This is proper out-of-character.
“She has never gone missing or anything like that before."