Gaynor Lord - latest: Tributes as police confirm body found in river is missing mother-of-three
Police confirmed body pulled from River Wensum on Friday following week-long search
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world
Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email
Tributes have begun to pour in for missing mother-of-three Gaynor Lord, whose body was found in the River Wensum on Friday.
Norfolk Police confirmed the results of the official identification, which took place on Sunday, in a statement that read: “Police can confirm the body of woman found in the River Wensum in Norwich on Friday has been formally identified as Gaynor Lord.”
They added that they have found no indications of any third-party involvement and early indications of her cause of death are “consistent with drowning.”
Her employer Jarrolds said that she would be “missed by all”, while floral tributes have been laid at the gates of Wensum Park.
Ms Lord went missing on Friday December 8, after she left work in Norwich over an hour early. She was seen on CCTV footage walking through the city towards Wensum Park, where her belongings were later found.
A family friend said her loved ones were left “distraught” after she disappeared, telling The Times: “Gaynor’s husband Clive is totally lost. He doesn’t understand at all what’s happened.”
Body pulled from river in search for missing Norwich mother Gaynor Lord
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.
Athena Stavrou reports:
Body pulled from river following a week-long search for missing 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
Friend of missing mother details last call
A friend of missing Norwich woman Gaynor Lord has detailed the last phone call she received from her on the day she was last seen.
Ms Lord, a mother of three, was reported missing in Norwich last Friday (8 December) after failing to return home from work.
Julie Butcher received a call from Ms Lord at 2.15pm that day but had to cut it short to speak to a client.
Speaking to Sky News on Thursday (14 December), Ms Butcher said: “I said could I call her back and she said ‘yes’.”
She later called Ms Lord but could not get through to her.
Ms Butcher said: “I wish I had never answered that call.”
You can listen to the interview here:
Gaynor Lord: Friend of missing mother details last call
A friend of missing Norwich woman Gaynor Lord has detailed the last phone call she received from her on the day she was last seen. Ms Lord, a mother of three, was reported missing in Norwich last Friday (8 December) after failing to return home from work. Julie Butcher received a call from Ms Lord at 2.15pm that day but had to cut it short to speak to a client. Speaking to Sky News on Thursday (14 December), Ms Butcher said: “I said could I call her back and she said ‘yes’.” She later called Ms Lord but could not get through to her. Ms Butcher said: “I wish I had never answered that call.”
In pictures: Floral tributes left for Gaynor Lord as body recovered from river to be identified on Sunday
Floral tributes laid near gates of Wensum Park after discovery of body
Floral tributes to Ms Lord were laid near the gates of Wensum Park after the discovery of a body on Friday.
One of them said: “Gaynor may you be at peace. God bless your family.”
Two members of the dive team could be seen recovering the body from the river in Norwich on Friday morning after marking the area of water with an orange buoy.
At about 12pm, officers could be seen recovering a body from the river in a black bag.
Police previously confirmed they consulted officers from Lancashire Constabulary who worked on the search for Nicola Bulley.
Gaynor Lord search: No third-party involvement in death of woman found in river
Detectives investigating the disappearance of mother-of-three Gaynor Lord have said there is no evidence a third party was involved in the death of a woman whose body was found in a river during the search.
Norfolk Police said a body was found in the River Wensum on Friday.
A post-mortem examination was carried out on Saturday morning and found no indication a third party was involved, the force added.
Police said formal identification is due to take place on Sunday and Mrs Lord’s family has been informed of the development.
Gaynor Lord search: No third-party involvement in death of woman found in river
A body was found during the search for Gaynor Lord, who vanished after leaving work in Norwich city centre on December 8.
Final CCTV footage of mother-of-three before she went missing
Before Gaynor Lord went missing, CCTV documented her visiting a number of places after leaving early from her workplace.
The footage below shows her last known sighting before she disappeared.
The 55-year-old is seen walking along St Augustine’s Street, Norwich, at 4:01pm on Friday 8 December.
What happened to Gaynor Lord’s belongings?
Lydia Patrick reports:
Police found a number of Ms Lord’s belongings scattered in Wensum Park next to the river where they were conducting the main search.
Clothing, a mobile phone and glasses were found dispersed around the park 1.5 miles from her workplace in a department store. Her coat was found in the River Wensum itself.
Chief Superintendent Dave Buckley from Norfolk Police said the force had used sonar equipment across the river which was an “extraordinarily challenging environment” for them to work in.
Gaynor Lord eyewitness says she saw ‘calm’ mother-of-three doing yoga pose in park before disappearance
An eyewitness who saw Ms Lord before she went missing has spoken out.
The witness says she saw the missing mother laying down her coat before performing what appeared to be a yoga pose. She said Ms Lord “appeared quite calm” although felt the action was “odd” for the time of day.
In pictures: Body found and post-mortem examination conducted in Gaynor Lord search
A body has been found in the search for Gaynor Lord. It is yet to be identified and Norfolk Police have confirmed the identification process will take place on Sunday.
A post-mortem examination conducted on Saturday ruled out any “third-party involvement” and police confirmed they were not treating the death as suspicious.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.