Body pulled from river in search for missing Norwich mother Gaynor Lord

Norfolk Police say they are remaining open minded as they continue their missing person investigation to ascertain why Gaynor Lord went missing

Specialist divers pulled a body from a river on Friday morning following a week-long search for missing mother-of-three Gaynor Lord.

Police have been desperately searching for Lord since last Friday after she failed to return home from work in Norwich city centre.

Her belongings, including a white shirt, two rings, mobile phone and glasses, were discovered in Wensum Park by a member of the public later that evening.

Officers were seen marking out a specific part of the water with an orange buoy earlier in the morning and divers later pulled a body out of the water nearby (PA)

After her coat was found in the water a major police search of the River Wensum, which runs through the park, began.

Specialist diving teams assisted with sonar tech pulled a body from the river at midday on Friday, Norfolk police confirmed.

Officers were seen marking out a specific part of the water with an orange buoy earlier in the morning, around 100 metres down stream from where the focus of Thursday’s search took place.

Police divers with flippers were already preparing to enter the water further along the river, but after a phone call was received, they packed up their kit and rediverted just after 11am.

A body was recovered from the river during the search for Gaynor Lord on Friday (PA)

The body was then pulled out of the water in a black bag at around noon.

“Police searching for missing Norwich woman Gaynor Lord can confirm a body has been found in the River Wensum,” Norfolk Police said.

“While the body hasn’t formally been identified, Gaynor’s family have been informed. They continue to be supported by specially trained officers.”

Chief Superintendent Dave Buckley told a media briefing on Friday afternoon that a post-mortem examination will need to be completed on the body to establish a means of death.

Chief Superintendant Dave Buckley told a media briefing on Friday afternoon that the force is confident there was no third party involvment (PA)

He added the force remains open-minded and will continue to pursue all lines of inquiry.

The case remains a missing persons inquiry but police are confident Ms Lord did not meet anyone on her way to Wensum Park and that there was no third party involvement.

“I am also satisfied at the moment, based on the evidence that we have, that Gaynor did not meet anyone on the way to the park, and we now have a better understanding of her movements through the city centre,” the officer added.

“I would reiterate at this stage that there is no evidence of third-party involvement. Nothing in our inquiries [has] changed this position.”

Floral tributes began to be laid near the gates of Wensum Park, with three bunches left by 3pm on Friday (PA)

The circumstances around Lord’s behaviour leading up to her disappearance have continued to puzzle detectives.

On Thursday Ch Supt Buckley said detectives “can’t explain” some of her behaviour and have not been able to establish Lord’s state of mind when she went missing with “any degree of confidence”.

The mother left work at Jarrolds Department store over an hour early on the day she disappeared and was spotted on CCTV leaving the building from the service entrance on Bedford Street at 2.46pm.

At 2.15pm, she called her friend Julie Butcher, who had to cut it short to speak to a client.

Her colleague told The Sun that in the days leading up to her disappearance she told them she felt “a bit off”. Another colleague told the paper she did not tell colleagues why she left early and didn’t show any signs of distress.

Gaynor Lord was seen leaving Jarrolds via the loading bay on Bedford Street at 2.46pm (PA)

She was then seen walking through Norwich city centre to and from the cathedral on Queens Street. At one point, she appears to be in a hurry.

At 4.01pm she was spotted walking up St Augustines Street towards Wensum Park, the last sighting of her on CCTV.

A witness later came forward to say she had seen a woman matching Lord’s description doing a yoga pose in the park at around 4pm and her friend Ms Butcher says she received a “pocket dial” call from her at 4:15pm.

As police continue their investigations into her mysterious disappearance, floral tributes began to be laid near the gates of Wensum Park, with three bunches left by 3pm on Friday.

Norfolk Police added that ongoing investigations were “predominantly focused on the river and the park”.