Gaynor Lord: Timeline of missing mum's disappearance as CCTV of last known movements released
13 December 2023, 15:42 | Updated: 14 December 2023, 13:26
Here’s the timeline of Gaynor Lord’s disappearance, including everything we know about the missing mother-of-three so far.
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Timeline of Gaynor Lord's disappearance
Gaynor Lord, 55, was last seen on Friday December 8, and has been missing since.
As police continue to step up their search efforts for the missing mum, here’s everything we know about her disappearance so far.
Friday 8 December
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.
Ms Lord’s journey leaving work was established as different to her usual route home.
Just after 8pm Norfolk police received a report from a member of the public who found Ms Lord’s possessions in Wensum Park.
The clothes Ms Lord had been wearing, 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
Saturday 9 December
Wensum Park was closed off to members of the public on Saturday as specialist teams launched search operations for the missing mum.
Specialists carried out extensive searches of the River Wensum, assisted by the force’s Marine Unit, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service and the Coastguard, and recovered further belongings from the mother-of-three.
Sunday 10 December
Searches continued for Ms Lord as police appealed for sightings and information from members of the public. Nothing was found on the Sunday search.
Norwich commander Super indent Wes Hornigold said: “Following the discovery of her belongings, our search activity is focused on Wensum Park which has been closed to the public to allow us to do this and is likely to be closed for the rest of the day.”
Monday 11 December
Police announced Norwich Park would remain closed overnight to continue searches for Ms Lord and that Wensum Park would continue to be shut.
Teams carried out further land searches around the park and waterways as they worked to source CCTV footage of her last whereabouts.
Tuesday 12 December
Police requested assistance from specialist underwater search teams, while also adding in a statement they believed the “most likely scenario is that Gaynor has entered the water”.
Wednesday 13 December
Police set up a tent in the search, as specialist officers joined the investigation.
Police released CCTV footage of Ms Lord on the day of her disappearance.
Norwich Policing Commander, Superintendent Wes Hornigold, said on Wednesday: “Today we are releasing the footage of Gaynor’s last known steps on Friday afternoon before she went missing.
"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.
"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.
"It’s not clear where she goes inside the cathedral grounds during this time so we’re keen to hear from anyone who may have seen her there.
“We are continuing our extensive searches but would appeal to the public to come forward with any information which may help to find Gaynor. In the footage you can clearly see what she was wearing when she went missing. This is a particularly stressful time for her family and specialist officers continue to provide support.”
Gaynor is described as white, 5 ft 6 tall, and was wearing a white shirt and yellow tank top with a large olive-coloured coat over the top and a scarf. She has blonde shoulder length hair in a bob.
