Gaynor Lord: Unanswered questions over mystery of missing mother

Mother-of-three Gaynor Lord’s family and friends described her behaviour as ‘out of character’

Police continue their search for the missing mother-of-three Gaynor Lord who vanished last week - with many questions still unanswered.

Gaynor Lord, 55, left her workplace at Jarold Deparment store early at 2.46pm in Norwich last Friday and has not been seen since.

She was spotted walking towards Norwich Cathedral and then she walked back along Queen Street. She was seen in various locations around Norwich until her final CCTV spotting where she was walking up St Augustine’s street at 4.01pm.

Missing mother-of-three Gaynor Lord disappeared a week ago (PA Media)

Ms Lord’s belongings, including clothing, two rings, a mobile phone and glasses, were found scattered in Wensum Park – around 1.5 miles from her workplace.

One witness says she saw her ‘practicing yoga’ on the park around the time she disappeared and a friend says she missed two of her calls.

Norfolk Police believe the most likely outcome is finding her in the River Wensum where divers are carrying out a meticulous search.

Below we look at some of the unanswered questions as the search continues.

What happened to her possessions?

Police have found a number of her belongings scattered in Wensum Park next to the river where they are 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: “We’re putting sonar equipment across the river, which is quite detailed in allowing us to try and target divers to where we think there might be objects.

“But equally, it’s very, very challenging. The river is very, very full of water with all the rain, full of lots of debris. The divers can see about one foot in front of them.

“So it’s an extraordinarily challenging environment for them to work in so it’s slow, methodical at the moment, working with equipment and it will take probably a couple of days to get to a position where we’re kind of content with what we’ve done. It may even be longer.”

Speaking to media at Wensum Park in Norwich, Chief Superintendent Dave Buckley gave an update on the search Thursday (BBC)

Why did she leave work early?

Ms Lord worked in Jarrolds department store in Bedford Street, Norwich.

Her shift on Friday was due to end at 4pm but instead she left more than an hour early at 2.45pm. So far, Police have been unable to explain why, and have been informed by friends and family her behaviour was out of character.

Chief Superintendant Dave Buckley gave a media briefing today, he said:  “We can’t explain some of her behaviour that day. We’re working really closely with family, with friends, with anybody else who might have had contact with her in the recent days or weeks to try and understand why this might have happened.

“People are very shocked by what’s happened. Nobody knows why she’s done what she’s done.”

Divers search Norwich river in hunt for missing mother (PA)

Was she behaving out of character?

Leaving work was early was unusual for Ms Lord, friends and family have told the police. The force added they “can’t explain” some of the missing woman’s behaviour in the CCTV footage.

One witness saw the 55-year-old ‘practicing yoga’ in the park around the time she went missing.

Rosie Richards said she saw a woman fitting the Ms Lord’s description in the park last Friday.

“She was sort of putting her coat down on the floor and sort of performing a yoga pose. It just seemed a bit off at this time because obviously it was starting to get dark,” Ms Richards added.

Detectives searching for Ms Lord say they have not been able to establish Ms Lord’s state of mind when she went missing with “any degree of confidence”.

Her friend Julie Butcher said she seemed “fine” when they last met on Tuesday last week.

“We were talking. She was a bit busy but we were talking about Christmas and she seemed fine, no different to the usual Gaynor. She was quite upbeat and happy,” Ms Butcher told the BBC.

The missed call to a friend

On the day Ms Lord disappeared, her friend Ms Butcher said she was called by her twice.

The first call she received was at 2.15pm, 30 minutes before Ms Lord left her place of work early, Ms Butcher told LBC.

She says Ms Lord was calling to ask her whereabouts. Ms Butcher picked up but said she had to go as she was sorting her internet and and a client called her, but she would return the call.

When she tried to return the call a few minutes later and then again after more time had passed, she could not get through, she told the broadcaster.

Police search teams continue to hunt the River Wensum for clues in the disappearance (Getty Images)

She received another call at 4.15pm, 15 minutes after she was last seen on CCTV, which sounded like a pocket dial, Ms Butcher said.

“I keep going over the conversation,” Ms Butcher said. “If I hadn’t answered that call [from her client] would she have talked to me? I feel terrible. I feel so sorry for the family.

“It’s not like Gaynor to do this,” she told the BBC.