Gaynor Lord's last known moments as police find body in Norwich river
15 December 2023, 12:57
Police searching for Gaynor Lord have found a body in the water.
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Although the body has not been identified, the missing mother's family has been informed.
Mystery continues to surround the last moments she was seen, having left work early while smiling before rushing through Norwich city centre.
She entered the cathedral for about half an hour then vanished in Wensum Park, where a witness saw a woman similar to her doing yoga poses.
Here is everything we know about Mrs Lord's last known moments.
Read more: Body found in river by police searching for missing mum Gaynor Lord one week after she disappeared
Timeline of Gaynor Lord's disappearance
Gaynor Lord, 55, was last seen on Friday December 8.
Friday, December 8
2:44pm: Ms Lord is seen working at the Bullards Gin counter in the basement at Jarrold department store in Norwich - wearing a white shirt overlaid with a yellow sweater and grey trousers.
2:45-2:46pm: She leaves the store via the loading bay on Bedford Street, just over an hour before she was due to finish work at 4pm.
2.47pm: She walks onto London Street past the Cosy Club.
2.48pm: Ms Lord then makes her way onto Queens Street and walks towards Norwich Cathedral.
2:50-3:23pm: She enters the Cathedral grounds and doesn’t exit for another 33 minutes.
3:23pm: She is seen on The Close at the Cathedral entrance and exits through the archway while putting her olive-coloured coat on and is seen to walk away from the cathedral on Queens Street.
3.49pm: This is the last sighting of Ms Lord on the CCTV near the Playhouse on St George’s Street.
3.53pm: She walks along St Crispins Road towards Pitt Street.
4.01pm: Gaynor walks up St Augustines Street - this is the last time Mr Lord was captured on CCTV before she went missing. A woman sees a person matching Mrs Lord's description doing a yoga pose in Wensum Park.
Ms Lord's journey leaving work was different to her usual route home.
Norfolk police received a report from a member of the public who found Ms Lord’s possessions in the park at about 8pm.
Her clothes, including a white shirt, yellow tank top and jewellery items, were found across various locations in Wensum Park, police said.
Detectives discovered her ID in her bag and visited her home, establishing she had failed to return from work.
Read more: Police tent set up and specialist divers join search for missing mother Gaynor Lord
The disappearance stumped Mrs Lord's relatives, who said they could not understand why she visited the cathedral, and it has not been confirmed why she left work early - nor why she was running.
Her sister in law, Susan Sinclair, 66, said: "I don't know why she would have been at the cathedral.
"It was sort of the right direction towards home, rather than the park which is in the opposite direction. She has a religion but she's not particularly religious."
While police have no information suggest third party involvement in her disappearance, detectives are probing whether she met with someone at the cathedral.
Police announced they found a body on Friday, a week on from Mrs Lord's disappearance.
It came after officers were seen hauling a black bag from the river.
Norfolk Police said: "Police searching for missing Norwich woman Gaynor Lord can confirm a body has been found in the River Wensum.
"The body was found in the river by underwater search teams this morning and has now been recovered from the water.
"While the body hasn’t formally been identified, Gaynor’s family have been informed. They continue to be supported by specially trained officers."
