Missing Gaynor Lord told friend ‘I’m feeling a bit funny’ before she suddenly vanished, leaving clothing and jewellery at the side of a riverbank as divers search waters battling poor visibility
- Gaynor Lord, 55, was last seen on Friday after she left work early in Norwich
- Follow MailOnline’s liveblog for all the latest updates on missing Gaynor Lord
Gaynor Lord told a friend ‘I’m feeling a bit funny’ before she suddenly vanished, leaving clothing and jewellery at the side of a riverbank.
The 55-year-old was seen walking along St Augustines Street in Norwich last Friday just after 4pm in a video which is the last clip of her before she went missing.
She was last seen leaving her work at Bullards Gin where she is a retail assistant.
A salesman at a nearby store told The Telegraph about having a brief conversation with Gaynor, who he described as being a ‘really nice woman’, where she shook her hands and told him about feeling a ‘bit off’.
‘She said something about feeling a bit funny,’ he said. ‘It was very nonchalant. She said she was feeling a bit funny, a bit off.’
A CCTV video shows Gaynor Lord walking along St Augustine’s Street in Norwich last Friday
The shop worker, who did not wish to be named, spoke briefly with Gaynor about anxiety but did not feel the conversation was ‘over the top’.
Detectives today revealed they had received 30 calls from members of the public offering information in response to their appeals for details about her movements.
Chief Superintendent Dave Buckley revealed the force ‘can’t explain some of her behaviour that day’, adding that they were speaking to friends and relatives and trying to work out who she had been spoken to in the days before she went missing.
Norfolk Police also said its dive teams searching the River Wensum were struggling with visibility as low as 1ft under the surface in water temperatures of just 4C (39F).
The force said it was also contending with leaves, branches, debris and the flow of the river, which was ‘the biggest problem because there’s been so much rainfall’.
Officers added that their underwater search involves a ‘combination of technology, diving, and drones’, with three types of sonar used from a boat in the River Wensum. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service is helping with a specialist underwater drone.
Mrs Lord went missing on Friday after her possessions were found in Wensum Park just after 8pm. She was identified by ID found in her handbag at the scene.
As expert dive teams from neighbouring Lincolnshire Police equipped for deeper dives trawled the river today using enhanced sonar, other developments included:
- Mrs Lord’s family criticised internet ghouls for speculating over the case;
- A witness said she saw Mrs Lord take off her coat before she went missing;
- She may have met a mystery person at the cathedral before vanishing;
- Detectives are working with Nicola Bulley police over ‘obvious parallels’; and
- Police released CCTV of her smiling as she left work at a department store.
Members of the dive team searching the River Wensum at Wensum Park in Norwich today
Gaynor Lord was last seen on Friday afternoon as she left work early from Norwich city centre
This timeline shows what we know so far about how Gaynor Lord’s disappearance unfolded
Mrs Lord was last seen on Friday afternoon after she left work early from Norwich city centre. Her belongings, including clothing, two rings, a mobile phone and glasses, were found scattered in Wensum Park, around one mile from her workplace.
Timeline of Gaynor Lord’s movements before going missing
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2023
- 2.44pm – Gaynor is working at the Bullards Gin counter in the basement at Jarrold department store – her clothing is clearly visible
- 2.45-2.46pm – She leaves the store via the loading bay on Bedford Street
- 2.47pm – Walks onto London Street past Cosy Club
- 2.48pm – Gaynor makes her way onto Queens Street and walks toward the Cathedral
- 3.22pm – Gaynor is seen on The Close at the cathedral entrance – shortly before exiting through the archway she puts her coat on
- 3.23pm – She is seen to walk away from the cathedral on Queens Street – here you can see a clear image of the coat she was wearing
- 3.49pm – This is the last sighting of Gaynor on CCTV near the Playhouse on St George’s Street
- 3.53pm – Walks along St Crispins Road towards Pitt Street
- 4.01pm – Gaynor walks up St Augustines Street – her final movements captured in CCTV before going missing
Mrs Lord’s coat was discovered in the River Wensum, which runs through the park, and Norfolk Police are now using sonar equipment as part of their search efforts.
Speaking to media at the scene, Chief Superintendent Buckley said it will take ‘a couple of days’ or longer to complete the search of the stretch of river.
‘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,’ he said.
‘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.’
Police said she is seen walking along London Street, Queens Street and towards the cathedral, before heading back out walking on to St George’s Street, St Crispins Road towards Pitt Street and finally up St Augustines Street at 4.01pm.
Chief Superintendent Buckley, who is the County Policing Commander, added today: ‘At the moment the CCTV is telling us that she left work and she made her way over a period of time to the river where she was seen.
‘Nobody has seen her go into the water but we know she ended up in the park. At the moment there’s nothing else that the CCTV has shown us about who she may have spoken to, any interactions she might have had. Some of this behaviour is out of character. We can’t explain some of her behaviour that day.
‘We’re working closely with the family, with friends, with anybody else that may have had contact with her in recent days and weeks to try to understand what might have happened.’
Divers are seen going under the water in Wensum Park in Norwich on Thursday afternoon
Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today
Police search the New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum in Norwich this morning
Detectives are using sonar equipment at the River Wensum in Norwich this morning
Norfolk Police is attempting to learn lessons from Lancashire Constabulary, which handled the search for missing mother Nicola Bulley (pictured), who disappeared earlier this year
He also revealed the difficult conditions faced by the search teams, saying: ‘We have been speaking to the dive team on site and visibility in the River Wensum is between zero and 1ft underwater with temperatures as low as 4C.
LIVEBLOG Gaynor Lord latest: Family speaks out as mystery over missing mother’s disappearance deepens
‘As soon as you reach one foot in front of you, visibility goes and then there’s obviously leaves, branches, debris, and the flow of the river to contend with, which is the biggest problem because there’s been so much rainfall.
‘They’re swimming against the flow of the river, which is very difficult, and searching with next to zero visibility, and in a systematic manner. It’s very time consuming because it’s a large area to search and we must make sure we covered every feasible inch of water.’
Detectives said the ‘irregular and largely natural nature of the terrain with uneven banks, trees, various depths and obstructions’ is making the work ‘painstaking and difficult’.
Images being beamed back to the boat from the underwater drone ‘have been often unclear and difficult to recognise depending on the angle’, they added.
Chief Superintendent Buckley said: ‘Our approach has been to conduct thorough and systematic searches of the area. This resulted in further items belonging to Gaynor being found over the weekend, her mobile phone, coat, ring, and glasses.
‘We’ve received 15 calls so far in response to our appeal yesterday and we’re grateful for the public’s help. While this information is still being assessed, currently there is nothing of significance that changes our approach.
Gaynor Lord’s stepbrother Allan Weston (pictured) today revealed her family were ‘very worried’ following her disappearance which he said was ‘proper out of character’
The New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum is the search focus for police this morning
Police continue to scour the River Wensum by Wensum Park in Norwich, pictured yesterday
Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today
‘This remains a missing person investigation and every effort continues to find Gaynor, including tracing her final movements in the city centre.’
READ MORE Gaynor Lord detectives call Nicola Bulley police over ‘obvious parallels’ in search as friend of missing mother says park where she vanished was a favourite dog walking spot and sonar teams scour river for clues
Asked why police were so sure Mrs Lord had entered the River Wentsum, Chief Superintendent Buckley added: ‘There are a number of lines of inquiry that we are pursuing but everything that we know is pointing to a high probability that Gaynor went into the water.
‘That would be from the CCTV, from the very limited witnesses we’ve got available to us and other lines of inquiry that we are pursuing about Gaynor’s behaviour in the lead up to her disappearance. At the moment the river is a really key factor for us.
‘That’s not to say that other specialist police teams aren’t working on other lines of inquiry, because they are, but at the moment you are seeing that intensive effort around the searching of the water and the parks around this area.’
Chief Superintendent Buckley confirmed that 30 people had contacted the police with information relating to the disappearance of Mrs Lord.
He said: ‘We’ve had 30 members of the public come forward so far as a result of all the work and press we’ve put out. I would just encourage anybody who has seen anything, however insignificant it may be, to call into the police and tell us what you know. Every piece of information will help.’
The items found in the park were identified as belonging to Mrs Lord by an ID in her handbag, police confirmed.
A diver prepares to go into the water as police search teams continue to hunt for clues
The New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum is the search focus for police this morning
Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today
The New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum is the search focus for police this morning
Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today
Firefighters are involved in the search the New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum today
Teams including Norfolk Constabulary’s Marine Unit, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, Coastguard and Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue have been searching both the surface and under the water of the River Wensum since Friday.
Chief Superintendent Buckley also said officers had not been able to establish Mrs Lord’s state of mind with ‘any degree of confidence’.
‘There’s nothing we’ve been able to establish that really gives us a clear position on her state of mind that I would feel any degree of confidence of saying what we think it is at the moment,’ he said.
‘We continue to talk to friends, family, anybody who can help us that we know she’s had contact with.
‘We have got hold of her mobile device, we will work our way through that systematically… and see if we can find out more accurately why we’ve ended up where we have.
‘It would be really premature I think if I offered too much suggestion as to what I think has happened.’
Chief Superintendent Buckley also said officers had ‘some indications’ of why missing Mrs Lord left the department store where she worked early.
‘We’ve got some indications as to why she behaved the way in which she did but what we’re doing is we’re just working backwards now to actually truly understand what may have taken place,’ he said.
‘We’re just cautious of everything we know at the moment because clearly we’ve ended up in the situation we have which is not usual.
‘I don’t think any of the conversations we’ve had are completely informing us as to why her state of mind ended up being what it was.’
He was asked if there were any marks on the grass by the river to indicate someone had gone in there, and replied ‘no there wasn’t’.
Asked if officers were considering anything about her medical history, he said: ‘We would always consider it but there’s nothing that changes our approach at the moment.’
Officers are also speaking to detectives from Lancashire Constabulary who led to the search for Nicola Bulley, who disappeared after dropping her two daughters at school in St Michael’s on Wyre on January 27.
Her body was found in the River Wyre on February 19, about a mile from where she vanished while walking her dog.
The Lancashire force was criticised over its probe and the disclosure of Ms Bulley’s personal details.
An inquest concluded her death was accidental, that she fell into the river on the day she disappeared and died almost immediately in the cold water.
Chief Superintendent Buckley confirmed that the two forces were working together, telling reporters: ‘We’ve reached out to Lancashire, to the investigators that worked on that case to find out anything we can learn and we will apply it…we are doing everything we can to progress this inquiry.
‘They are helping us, and when that case was concluded the College of Policing along with the National Crime Agency have to do a lot of work about what can be learned, what can be applied.
‘It may be in terms of search tactics or even how the police interact and deal with asking the public for help, and all of that we re-apply in our own enquiries.’
Earlier, Superintendent Wes Hornigold told The Sun that his force was working with the police involved in Ms Bulley’s case because there are ‘obvious parallels’.
Police search the banks of the river at Wensum Park on Thursday morning
Police search the New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum in Norwich this morning
Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today
Police search the New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum in Norwich this morning
Mrs Lord played tennis at Stanmore Tennis Club just outside the city, and its welfare officer Simon Valentine said today that her disappearance is ‘out of character’.
Mr Valentine told the Eastern Daily Press that she would have known the Wensum Park area before going there on Friday, adding: ‘She knew all these areas by the river. I don’t think she would have gone there if not.’
READ MORE Gaynor Lord’s stepbrother says her sudden disappearance six days after ‘yoga pose in park’ is ‘proper out of character’
He also said she was an ‘active member’ who was much-loved and widely known at the club, and regularly attending sessions on Wednesday mornings until recently.
Mr Valentine added: ‘She is a lovely lady. We all got on with her. She played a lot here in the summer and around Covid time but sometimes didn’t always come.’
The club’s secretary Greg Tyler also said: ‘We are all very fond of her here. It’s all just so odd and I can’t figure it out.’
It comes as Mrs Lord’s stepbrother Allan Weston, who lives in Blackpool, today revealed her family were ‘very worried’ following her disappearance which he said was ‘proper out of character’.
As a major search led by Norfolk Police continued, Mr Weston told The Sun : ‘We just hope she comes back safe. If anyone does know anything please come forward.
As a major search led by Norfolk Police continued, Mr Weston told The Sun: ‘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.’
Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today
FRIDAY 2.44pm – CCTV issued by Norfolk Police of missing Gaynor Lord leaving work at the Bullards Gin counter in the basement at Jarrold department store in Norwich on December 8
Rosie Richards said she saw a woman fitting Mrs Lord’s description at Wensum Park in Norwich
It comes as a witness who allegedly saw Mrs Lord shortly before she vanished has revealed she saw her put her coat on the ground of a park and perform a yoga pose.
Rosie Richards said she saw a woman fitting Mrs Lord’s description at Wensum Park in Norwich last Friday afternoon and described her as appearing ‘quite calm’.
READ MORE Gaynor Lord eyewitness who saw missing mother take off her coat before performing yoga pose in park moments before she disappeared says she ‘seemed calm’ but her behaviour was ‘a bit off’ – as search enters sixth day
But the witness, who lives nearby, claimed something ‘just seemed a bit off’ because it was getting dark at the time around 4pm. Mrs Lord’s personal effects were later found at the park and her coat was in the River Wensum, which runs through it.
Ms Richards told ITV ‘s Good Morning Britain : ‘To me she seemed quite calm. 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.’
She also spoke to the BBC, saying: ‘It’s really upsetting. I’m thinking of her friends and family because she is a similar age to my mum and that would be awful to be going through what they are going through now.’
Another witness saw a woman who could have been twice-married Mrs Lord in the park at around 4pm. They said she ‘removed her coat and performed a yoga pose’.
It comes as the mystery of mother-of-three Mrs Lord deepened after newly released CCTV footage showed her smiling at work – moments before she was seen running through nearby streets.
FRIDAY 2.47pm – Gaynor Lord is seen in Norwich walking along London Street past Cosy Club
FRIDAY 2.48pm – Gaynor Lord makes her way onto Queens Street before crossing into Tombland and walking towards Norwich Cathedral
FRIDAY 3.22pm – Gaynor Lord is seen leaving the Cathedral grounds about 30 minutes later. At 3.49pm she is spotted on CCTV near the Playhouse on St George’s Street before walking along St Crispins Road towards Pitt Street. At 4.01pm she walks up St Augustines Street
Mrs Lord left a department store in Norwich on Friday afternoon but never made it home.
READ MORE Missing Gaynor Lord’s family slam internet ghouls for speculating on the 55-year-old’s disappearance as police release CCTV of her smiling as she leaves work
Her coat was found in the river running through the park a mile away five hours later, while other belongings – including two rings, her mobile and clothing – were strewn on the ground nearby.
The discovery sparked a huge police search on land and water.
Norfolk Police issued CCTV footage yesterday which showed her smiling and clutching her brown handbag at the concession she worked in at Jarrolds department store. She was wearing a yellow tank top over a white shirt.
She left at 2.45pm – 75 minutes before the end of her shift – and was seen running along a street with her olive-coloured coat over her left arm moments later.
Mrs Lord then dashed through moving traffic on a main road in the direction of the city’s Anglican cathedral. She left the grounds 30 minutes later, again appearing to be in a hurry, putting her coat on as she marched away. The last sighting of her on camera was at 4.01pm.
Superintendent Hornigold said: ‘We hope this will help to jog the memory of anyone who may have seen her in the city that afternoon or who may have footage of her journey.
Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today
Detectives are using sonar equipment at the River Wensum in Norwich this morning
The New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum is the search focus for police this morning
Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today
Police search the New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum in Norwich this morning
The New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum is the search focus for police this morning
Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today
The New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum is the search focus for police this morning
‘We are particularly keen on hearing from anyone who may have seen Gaynor in the cathedral grounds, which she enters at 2.50pm and leaves at 3.23pm.
READ MORE Police release CCTV of missing mother Gaynor Lord smiling as she left work at department store before running through city centre – as specialist divers join search five days after she vanished
‘It’s not clear where she goes inside the cathedral grounds during this time.’
He added: ‘This is a particularly stressful time for her family and specialist officers continue to provide support.’
Speaking about their work with Nicola Bulley detectives, Mr Hornigold told LBC: ‘We will absolutely – and have done – be linking in with Lancashire Constabulary to understand any of the lessons learned from that inquiry.
‘We’ve already had meetings with the National Crime Agency in terms of understanding any specific skills and knowledge in respect to water searching.’
He added: ‘We’re cognisant of the recent College of Policing report into the Lancashire inquiry, so we’re leaving no stone unturned and making sure we’re doing everything within our power to find Gaynor as quickly as possible.’
And a Lancashire Police spokesman told MailOnline today: ‘We have been contacted by our colleagues at Norfolk Constabulary in relation to their ongoing search for missing woman Gaynor Lord. While we have not been asked for any officers or search resources, we will provide any support or advice as requested.’
Mrs Lord’s personal effects were found at Wensum Park, a mile from the department store. Her coat was in the river Wensum.
Graham Usher, the Bishop of Norwich, said on X today: ‘Prayers offered here for the safety of missing Norwich woman Gaynor Lord, for her family and friends, and the emergency services who are searching for her.
Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today
The New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum is the search focus for police this morning
Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today
Firefighters from Lancashire are also involved in the search in Norwich this morning
Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today
Police search teams enter the water with a white tent seen in the background as they look for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord
Police search teams were seen scanning the River Wensum for any clues that can help them
‘If you saw her in the Cathedral Close, or have any information, please contact Norfolk Police.’
READ MORE Last sighting in search for missing mother Gaynor Lord: Department store worker, 55, was spotted at 4pm last Friday in same Norwich park where her clothes and mobile phone were found
Mrs Lord’s husband Clive, 63, a financial adviser, has not commented on the case.
Police say the ‘most likely scenario’ is that Mrs Lord ended up in the river. Specialist divers were brought in from Lincolnshire Police yesterday, along with advanced sonar equipment.
Norfolk Police’s own marine unit, Norfolk Fire and Rescue and the Coastguard were already involved in the search.
Officers are examining Mrs Lord’s phone to see if it holds clues to her state of mind.
They want to know why she left work early and why she took a route which was not her normal one home.
Mr Hornigold – who has said there is no evidence of anyone else being involved – said: ‘There’s no evidence that Gaynor has come to harm and, while we have a number of enquiries ongoing, given where her clothing was found and other items, there is a real possibility that she has entered the water.’
A police car outside Wensum Park, Norwich, as police search for Gaynor Lord
An underwater search unit has been deployed to Wensum Park as divers look for clues
Police crews are seen searching the River Wensum at Wensum Park in Norwich yesterday
Officers at the scene of the search at Wensum Park in Norwich after Mrs Lord went missing
Superintendent Wes Hornigold of Norfolk Police said the force was releasing CCTV footage in an attempt to ‘jog the memory of anyone who may have seen her in the city that afternoon’
Police divers search the river yesterday and use sonar at Wensum Park in Norwich
A police drone at Wensum Park searching for Gaynor Lord earlier this week
‘We’ve been liaising with the National Crime Agency (NCA) who have given advice around specialist underwater dive teams and we’re seeking assistance from forces with this capability.
READ MORE Missing mother Gaynor Lord, 55, ‘may have met mystery person at cathedral before vanishing’ as police ‘investigate lost 34 minutes’ and her worried family plead: ‘We just want her home’
‘We hope resources will be on the ground later today or tomorrow.
‘This is clearly a distressing time for her family. We have specialist officers supporting them and continue to keep them updated of our ongoing work.’
Mrs Lord’s daughters have both reposted several versions of Norfolk Police appeals for information about their mother’s disappearance on Facebook.
Alexandra Lord, 22, wrote above one of them: ‘Please share, if anyone knows anything please do contact the police! We want her home!’
Next to another message, she wrote: ‘Anything you may know small or large please contact the police!’
Elder sister Charlotte, 24, a fashion entrepreneur, also reposted the appeals.
Wensum Park has been closed off to the public since Saturday and specialist teams have been carrying out extensive searches of the land and water.
Searches have been carried out in the River Wensum with assistance from the Norfolk Police Marine Unit, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service and the Coastguard.
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