Police searching for missing mother Victoria Taylor have said there is a ‘significant possibility’ she entered a river after recovering new CCTV of her walking towards a play park near the water’s edge.
Chief Superintendent Fiona Willey said that officers had uncovered previously unseen footage showing the bride-to-be walking past a children’s playground towards the river in Malton, North Yorkshire last Monday.
Victoria’s belongings – a baseball cap and rucksack – were found close to the water’s edge near to where the footage was taken, on a patch of ground next to Riverside Walk.
Chief Supt Willey, of North Yorkshire Police, said her offices remain open minded and will explore all lines of enquiry but added: ‘We must accept the significant possibility that Victoria has entered the River Derwent.’
Divers and teams using specialist sonar equipment are continuing to scour the river and drones are now being used to search nearby fields and woodland.
Lancashire Police – who investigated the disappearance of Nicola Bulley – are also believed to be among a number of forces contacted by North Yorkshire Police for advice on the search.
Speaking by the banks of the Derwent, Chief Supt Willey said: ‘Today, we continue to search for 34-year-old Victoria Taylor who is known locally as Vixx, and is still missing from her home in the Norton area of Malton.
‘I’m here today to provide an update to the local community on the police response to find Victoria. But firstly, I wanted to acknowledge the unimaginable level of distress that Victoria’s family are going through following her disappearance nine days ago.
‘We have put specialist officers in place to link in directly with the family to support them and keep them updated with our strategy and any developments. The family are supportive of the police response, and we are working together in our efforts to find Victoria.’
Victoria left her home at 9am on Monday 30 September.
She was seen on CCTV at 11.35am at the BP garage on Welham Road in Norton, where she purchased several items.
Police obtained further security camera footage of her walking past Malton Bus Station at 11.53am.
Victoria is seen to be carrying a bag which is understood to contain the items from the BP garage.
Police do not believe she entered the station and have no reason to believe that she used public transport at that time.
Chief Supt Willey continued: ‘In the last 24 hours we have also recovered further CCTV footage which shows Victoria walking towards the play park on Riverside Walk at 12.30pm.
‘Various items that belong to Victoria have been recovered from this location.
‘Since receiving the initial report that Victoria is missing, we have made every effort to find her.
‘Previous releases of information made by North Yorkshire Police highlight the scale of enquiries undertaken to date and I would like to reiterate that, based on current information, no indication of any form of third-party involvement has been established. This remains a missing person enquiry.
‘As with any investigation, we remain open minded and will continue to explore all lines of enquiry. Based on the discovery of Victoria’s belongings so close to the water’s edge, we must accept the significant possibility that Victoria has entered the River Derwent.
‘Searches are currently taking place of the river, these searches have been above surface and underwater. The team are using specialist sonar equipment, which gives officers a view below the surface.
‘The river search is a slow and complex task, and the team are working methodically in difficult conditions.
‘The use of this specialist resource will continue in the coming days, and we are very much supported in this work by national policing advisors.
‘Additional specialist police search officers are using drones to scour the rural areas close to where Victoria’s possessions were found.
‘Over the coming days we will continue with our searches to find Victoria and ensure that we are doing all we can to support her family. Understandably, the disappearance of Victoria has shocked the local community and the family take comfort in the overwhelming amount of support from people both locally and further afield.’
Chief Supt Willey said there had been ‘a small amount of misinformation and speculation’ online which she said was not helpful and is causing ‘unnecessary anguish to Victoria’s family at this incredibly difficult time.’
She added: ‘Finally, we have taken advice on a national level to ensure that we are doing all we can to achieve the best possible outcome for Victoria and her family.
‘As Head of Local Policing for North Yorkshire Police I have every confidence in our ongoing response to this missing person search.’