Police are searching underwater for a missing mother-of-three who disappeared last week after leaving work early.
Gaynor Lord, 55, left her shift in a city centre department store on Friday but never made it home.
A huge search is underway and police divers have been called in after her coat was found in a river in a nearby park. Her clothes, two rings, mobile phone and glasses were also discovered nearby.
Wensum Park in Norwich has been closed to the public since Saturday while specialist teams search on land and in the water.
Norfolk Police say the ‘most likely scenario’ is that Ms Lord had entered the water.
Norwich policing commander Superintendent Wes Hornigold said: ‘Gaynor left work early and didn’t take her normal route home. We haven’t been able to establish why she left early and her disappearance is out of character, so we are naturally concerned for her welfare.
‘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 she has entered the water.’
Police are trawling through CCTV to try and trace Ms Lord’s movements during a five-hour window before she was officially declared missing by police late on Friday evening.
Gaynor Lord, 55, was last seen heading towards the cathedral in the centre of Norwich
Police divers have been called in after her coat was found in a river in a nearby park
Norfolk Police say the ‘most likely scenario’ is that Ms Lord had entered the water
Wensum Park in Norwich has been closed to the public since Saturday while specialist teams search on land and in the water
‘Given the nearby waterways, we do have to be open to the possibility that Gaynor has entered the water and we’ve carried out extensive searches on the river this weekend,’ police said
Police divers, assisted by fire crews and the coastguard, scoured the nearby River Wensum yesterday
Mr Hornigold, who said the force was seeking assistance from other constabularies with diving expertise, added: ‘This is clearly a distressing time for her family. We have specialist officers supporting them and continue to keep them updated on our ongoing work.’
Gaynor is believed to be married to a successful financial advisor. He declined to comment when approached today.
Police revealed that she’d left her work as a retail assistant for spirits distiller Bullard Gin, based at the city’s Jarrold Department Store, at 2.45pm, before her shift was due to end at 4pm.
She was last seen heading toward the cathedral in the centre of Norwich on Friday before she vanished.
Later the same day a member of the public discovered her belongings in the city’s Wensum Park, around a mile away from work. She was reported missing after failing to return home.
Norwich Constabulary declared her missing after they identified the items and learned she’d failed to return home from work that evening.
A police spokeswoman added: ‘We won’t be drawn on her state of mind. We are still trying to establish the facts. But it was completely out of character.’
A huge police search is under way for a missing woman who didn’t come home from work
Officers have also used drones and foot searches to search for further clues
A police drone at Wensum Park searching for Gaynor Lord
Police divers, assisted by fire crews and the coastguard, scoured the nearby River Wensum yesterday using sonar equipment and said they have to be ‘open to the possibility that Gaynor has entered the water’.
Officers have also used drones and foot searches to search for further clues and said they do not suspect third party involvement.
A spokesperson for the force said last night the park would remain closed as they hunt for further information about Gaynor’s whereabouts.
Superintendent Wes Hornigold earlier said: ‘We’re doing everything we can to find Gaynor and based on what we’ve found in the park, this remains our focus for the searches.
‘Clearly, given the nearby waterways, we do have to be open to the possibility that Gaynor has entered the water and we’ve carried out extensive searches on the river this weekend.
‘Naturally, our focus will now start to move to underwater searches and we’re seeking help from specialist teams to help with this complex task.
Police said the park would remain closed as they hunt for further information about Gaynor’s whereabouts
Police divers have used sonar equipment to examine the water
‘Our priority is to find Gaynor and the park will remain closed while these searches continue. We’d ask the local community to bear with us while this takes place.
‘This is clearly a distressing time for her family and we continue to keep them updated of ongoing work in this case.’
Gaynor, who has blonde shoulder-length hair in a bob, is described as white and 5ft 6 inches.
She was last seen walking along London Street in Norwich wearing a white shirt and yellow tank top with a large olive-coloured coat over the top and a scarf.