I find it a little odd that this case is not as well-known as the disappearance of Andrew Gosden or Corrie McKeauge which have been widely discussed on Reddit and other websites/forums. York is a pretty safe place in general. Mr Fox, who took charge of the investigation in October following the retirement of Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, said: Today, on the 12th anniversary of her disappearance, our hearts go out to Claudias loved ones. A 10,000 reward is offered for information that could lead to the conviction of those responsible. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. She also has a sister called Ali. [28] In July 2013, NYP said the unit would assess several "stalled" cases when it opened in October, including Lawrence's disappearance. DRAMATIC drone footage yesterday showed cops trawling a fish pond in the search for Claudia Lawrence - as a source insisted: "The answer lies local." Police were spending a third day scouring the flooded quarry and surrounding woodland in a bid to solve the 12-year-old mystery. From there they continued their search onto a wooded area not far from this site. The cigarette was found to have DNA on it years later but that DNA doesn't match anyone already on the database and no familial entries. Her friend Suzy wasn't happy about it either and described Claudia as a very shy person. [3], Lawrence enjoyed a comfortable childhood and was privately educated at the York College for Girls. The 35-year-old, who worked as a chef at the University of York, had spoken to her mum on the phone that night, giving no hint anything was wrong. The investigation centred around construction of a "rogue's gallery" of the men she had been involved with. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? [1], Lawrence remained single throughout her life while enjoying a gregarious social life. 50 cash with friend referrals at Virgin Mobile, 15% off extra plans with this Vodafone promo, 50% off your 1st 3 months - Audible promo, 50% off selected memberships using this Ancestry discount, Save up to 20% off your rental when you book 14 days in advance at Sixt, Peril: Potter sends Chelsea dressing room message amid huge pressure, Arteta reveals why he didnt speak to Saliba for a week at Arsenal, Conte return date confirmed as Tottenham face massive week, Moyes responds to Keane criticism of Rice with bold prediction, Liverpool duo to follow Firmino out of Anfield as club look to refresh, Duke and Duchess of Sussex asked to vacate their UK home Frogmore Cottage, Flying Scotsman steams into Edinburgh to mark centenary, New Simon Armitage poem to mark 100 years of Flying Scotsman, Why Phoebe Smith wants to make the outdoors more inclusive, Belgian mother who killed 5 children euthanised 16 years after deaths, 300 new Ulez cameras rolled out but none in rebel boroughs, Estate agent wins legal fight with interior designer over 10m sale, Mother and daughter found dead in flat months after last being seen, Messages show Hancocks reaction after Gina Coladangelo CCTV leak. I wonder what the purposes were. There were also swabs taken from her house years later (think the case was reexamined in 2013). Peter Lawrence, who devoted himself to helping others with missing relatives, died after never knowing what happened to his daughter. This comment has been removed by the author. A 10,000 reward was offered for anyone who could come forward with any information. But in June 2019, it was thought Claudia's mobile phone could hold a clue to the mystery. I have no idea or theory in this case and I do pray that it will be solved. There was also some CCTV footage of a strange male figure seen around the back of Claudia's house at 5:30am that morning. I think the newspapers had to backtrack massively too. Please do the right thing, come forward and speak to me.. It was considered likely that her killer was a local man known to her. They arrested four men a couple years back in suspicion of murder but stated that they ran into "a lack of cooperation from witnesses". Could they not go with that, then look into people who live or have frequented the location? May 6 - Mr Lawrence calls for an urgent independent inquiry into the police investigation of his daughter's disappearance and suspected murder. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The hours at her new job suited her fine as she started early and would be finished by lunchtime. The mother of the missing university chef Claudia Lawrence has said "if you give up on hope, you may as well give up altogether" as she marked the 13th anniversary of her daughter's. And yes, I will definitely check out the Facebook group. She initially worked at several hotels and restaurants in York, but became tired of the unsocial hours this involved. Monday marks the tenth anniversary of the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence. Her father says "it's very difficult" to conceive of her still being alive. [17] In late August 2009, NYP and the Lawrence family used the annual Whitby Regatta in North Yorkshire to publicise the campaign. On the 12th anniversary of Claudias disappearance today (Thursday, 18 March), Mr Fox urged anyone with information to do the right thing and speak to him. This campaigning eventually succeeded with the passing of "The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017" which was introduced to Parliament as a Private Members' Bill. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. In his 2017 book, Catching a Serial Killer: My hunt for murderer Christopher Halliwell, Stephen Fulcher, the senior investigating officer in the murder of Sian O'Callaghan, suggests there are similarities between the Lawrence and O'Callaghan cases. Could it be the person who abducted her or murdered her? I agree I think she was having an affair with one of her best friends husbands and i believe he was arrested and released. 5-6 King's Court, Shambles, York YO1 7LD, Selby Superbowl, Bawtry Road, Selby YO8 8NA. Whoever smoked it was either nothing to do with the case, or confident that the police did not have enough evidence to link him to the murder directly. [47] Both NYP and Wiltshire Police have stated that there is no direct evidence linking Halliwell to the Lawrence case, and Wiltshire Police have disclosed that they have CCTV evidence of Halliwell buying petrol at a petrol station in Swindon on the evening before Lawrence disappeared. View our online Press Pack. Her father Peter spent years campaigning for the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill, also known as Claudias Law, which allows relatives to take control of their missing loved ones financial matters. [45] In 2018 highly-regarded miscarriage of justice organisation Inside Justice investigated the Razzell case (and the alleged links to Halliwell) as part of a BBC documentary, Conviction, but it concluded that the conviction was safe and stated there was nothing linking Halliwell to the crime other than speculation. The Bill, which came into force in July 2019, allows the family of a missing person to apply to the court for guardianship of that person's estate 90 days after the disappearance. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. She loved socialising and loved having a drink with her friends in the local pubs around York or going to a nightclub. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Also the fact that her phone was deliberately turned off kind of freaks me out if Im not mistaken, it was traced by the police and its location was discovered (it was several miles away from her place). You can also contact Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111, Thank you for checking out my latest case, see you in the next one x. UPDATE: August 2021. During that time, the smiling face of the York University chef has been . It looks, from various other sources, that she may have spent the evening with one of her lovers, and an argument or killing jealous rage resulted in her unfortunate demise. [38] The second investigation then ended having achieved little. Cooper attended the appointment but Lawrence did not. More to the point, in the light of there being no-one brought to justice in the 12 years, there are still one or more people at large in York or maybe somewhere else now who do know what has happened to Claudia and where she is and potentially remain a threat to the communities in which they and we live.. [7] It was determined that the phone had been connected to a mast in the Heworth area of York throughout the morning of 19 March and up to the point it was switched off. Enter your password to log in. On August 24, 2021, police began searching a quarry in York. A fresh appeal for answers about missing Claudia Lawrence has been made on the eve of the anniversary of her disappearance. Most murder victims know their killer. The only CCTV camera on Lawrence's most direct route to work was at the Melrosegate Post Office, and the recording from the morning of 19 March did not show Lawrence passing. More than a month after the missing person's report was opened, police upgraded the investigation to suspected murder. I think cops know the perpetrators but dont have sufficient evidence to prosecute. She left behind her passport, bank cards and purse but her rucksack, chef whites and mobile phone were missing. Maybe someone will finally step forward and say something! Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/everything-know-disappearance-claudia-lawrence-17946108, https://northyorkshire.police.uk/news/claudia-lawrence-investigation/, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/what_happened_to_claudia. Picture credit: Well, according to the official timeline of Claudia's last known movements, she finished work as she normally would on the afternoon of the 18th of March 2009. April 22 - Three more men, all in their 50s and from the York area, are arrested on suspicion of murder and are released on bail. Her father, Peter is a solicitor and her mother, Joan is a stay at home housewife. March 19 - Five years on from Miss Lawrence's disappearance, officers discover at her home the fingerprints of people who have still not come forward to the investigation. North Yorkshire police have been treating the case as a suspected murder investigation. News and entertainment worth sharing York and North Yorkshire. Investigators were able to trace some more information from her phone (which was still missing) and established that she had spent a lot of time in a place called Acomb (which is another area of York) in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. Im sure most of you have heard of this case. It was like she had just vanished without a trace. Update in the Claudia Lawrence case. An odd similarity links the cases. What happened to her? Although convicted of only two murders Halliwell has been linked to many other violent offences against women involving assaults, rapes, disappearances and murders. Student houses are common targets due to them likely having several laptops, tellys and other gadgets. Claudia owned her own house and seemed to have the world at her feet so when she suddenly vanished on the 18th of March 2009 nobody could understand why. Peter Lawrence, who was 74, died on Thursday at St Leonard's Hospice in York following a. Would not surprise me if one of the girls did not set it up and was also there. What are your theories? leaving her mum devastated that she may never find out what happened to her daughter. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. It is not too late.. Police waiting for publics help in search for chef last seen in Heworth, York, on 18 March 2009. I do think the police know who killed her, but can't prove it. I'm now on TikTok, hope to see you there! It is notable that OCallaghan was murdered by Halliwell on 19 March 2011 and her body was concealed. I don't think Christopher Halliwell is linked to this case at all. I think he probably has someone on the inside of North Yorkshire Police who has kept him out of the picture. I first heard about this case a few years ago, but didnt really know the details, barely had any time to read articles and/or watch YouTube videos regarding Claudias disappearance and wasnt really interested in such stuff back then, so eventually I forgot about it. Claudia Lawrence's mother will 'never give up hope' the case will be solved after 10 years. For whatever reason, they have maintained a silence for 12 years. The only lead in this respect is some unknown male DNA on a cigarette found in her car. For other inquiries, Contact Us. All of a sudden the British public were picking up newspapers seeing all of these unsavoury details about relationships Claudia had with married men. Hundreds of officers across various forces were initially involved but the investigation has been scaled back over the years. She was pursuing a degree in liberal studies at that time and looked forward to having a wonderful time in college. That Lawrence had been the victim of a chance encounter with a. I find it super interesting that someone had been smoking in her car even though her parents said she didn't smoke and hated people smoking around her. [29], The MCU subsequently assessed the Lawrence case and carried out new forensic searches at her home on Heworth Road. This possibility was eventually dismissed. I can imagine how they feel and this is honestly horrific, I would not want this to happen to anyone. Very good account and pointing out the medias role is a key thing. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. So the thing that gets me is that with todays phones, you can see pretty much EXACTLY where that phone is and maybe where its been historically down to feet. [30] CCTV footage, recovered in 2009, showed a silver Ford Focus hatchback car, manufactured between 1998 and 2004, driving along Heworth Road. Sources close to the police investigation believe it suggests she was killed by someone she knew, perhaps in her social circle. There was two potential sightings of a man and a woman either stood together outside of the University talking or arguing in the early hours of the 19th of March. Absolutely brilliant article! University chef Ms Lawrence was last seen at 15:05 on Wednesday 18. She was employed as a chef at the University of York 's Goodricke College at the time of her disappearance. Also, we have no actual scene where something untoward may have happened to her despite fresh forensic assessments of her house, car and other locations.. Do you still have connections to York? I don't know whether all four men got together to kill her, or if one killed her and the other three know about it or what, but I think it is one of those cases where police know but can't do anything. Claudia and Ali were obsessed with horses growing up and each of them had a pony which they adored. The bed was made and there were unwashed dishes in the kitchen sink, suggesting she had eaten breakfast. I remember a journalist mentioning that in all his decades of working as a reporter on missing persons cases he had never faced such hostility from the locals in the area or been literally threatened and warned off covering the story before as he had been with this one. A DECADE on from the day Claudia Lawrence was last seen alive, the detective heading up the investigation to find her believes answers still lie in This is a case which really messes with your mind because the circumstances were really complicated. Do you think that some information has not been released to the public? Finally, the most comprehensive, informative and very detailed article can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/what_happened_to_claudia , its pretty long and might probably seem a little bit hard to read to some people, however, its definitely worth reading because it tells us about Claudias childhood and social circle as well as her job. It was so out of character for her, she loved her job and was happy with her life and friends so what happened? [7] At this point Cooper became alarmed and contacted mutual acquaintances including George Forman, landlord of The Nag's Head, to obtain information concerning her possible whereabouts. The original NYP investigation of Lawrence's disappearance considered various possibilities, including: One critical piece of evidence was that Lawrence's mobile phone remained on until 12:10pm on 19 March, at which time it was deliberately switched off. September 17 - A file of evidence on four men arrested on suspicion of murder is sent by North Yorkshire Police to the Crown Prosecution service (CPS) so it can consider whether to bring charges. For a privately educated daughter of a country solicitor, Claudia had some unusual acquaintances and this remains the only missing person case where I have been warned off or threatened - not once but twice". I encourage anyone who has Facebook to join the group Claudia Lawrence- 11 years of lies because this group really does go deep into everything about this case. Claudia Lawrence was last seen nearing her home in Heworth, York, on the afternoon of 18 March 2009, as she returned from her work as a chef at the University of York. Claudias Law otherwise known as the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017 came into force on July 31, 2019. Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. The investigation continues and there's no word as of yet about who tipped the police off to search these areas or what, if anything has been found. The search for Claudia Lawrence is being hampered by the withholding of vital information, police have said 10 years after she was last seen. Such a guardian would have the power to, for example, stop direct debits for utilities. March 18 - Miss Lawrence speaks with her parents over the phone and, at 8.23pm, sends her friend a text. Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . [26] The search at Heslington was later considered to have been prompted by hoax information.[27]. Personally I have never been to Yorkshire and I dont know anyone from that area, so I cant make any statements about that region. . [31], The new investigation, led by Detective Dai Malyn, made a number of arrests. The Claudia Lawrence case may ring a few bells for those of you who live in the UK and quite possibly beyond as it has been covered on quite a number of blogs and Youtube channels. The two women discussed celebrating the forthcoming Mother's Day. Sign up for exclusive newsletters, comment on stories, enter competitions and attend events. This might be a little bit off topic, but recently I became very interested in such stuff partially because of my girlfriend who is a criminologist and also because I felt really bored and didnt know what to do during the quarantine. Maybe the police know or at least clearly presume what happened and/or who might be responsible for that all, but cannot make any statements at the moment due to lack of evidence? The 35-year-old worked as a chef at the University of York and was reported. She was reported to have engaged in a series of short-term relationships often conducted on a concurrent basis. The police seem to know what happened and who was involved, they just don't have the hard evidence or witness cooperation to forward it to a prosecution. Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox the new senior investigating officer on the case, said he believes several people know, or have suspicions about, what happened to the 35-year-old when she went missing in York in 2009. Agreed, I think the police have a decent understanding of what happened to her but can't prove it currently. | The Jimmie Sue Finger Story | The Real Case Behind The TV Movie ''Stay The Night'' | Part Two. As with some recent cold case successes, the breakthrough has come from the public and we still have confidence that this will be the case.. [47][48] Nevertheless, some observers believe that the NYP's focus on Lawrence's lifestyle and social circle may have been misguided. But the young woman was never heard from again leaving officers desperately probing into her past, her relationships and her work life in an effort to find her. They considered it likely that she had decided to absent herself and would reappear after a few days. I tend to think that something happened between 10PM and midnight on the 18-th of March, 2009. Picture credit: It didn't help matters when the investigators kept saying that she had a ''secret life''. [34] In July 2014, NYP arrested Paul Harris, the landlord of The Acomb pub (since renamed as The Clockhouse pub) in York on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. On 19 March, Lawrence was scheduled to start work at 6 am. Could it still somehow be related to her disappearance? [20] It was reported that the last text message received by Lawrence was from a man who was on the island. However, as time went on Lawrence's family became increasingly insistent that she would have contacted them had she been able to do so. [6] The general finding which emerged from the original enquiry was that Lawrence had probably been abducted and murdered shortly after leaving home on 19 March. In 2007 Lawrence purchased a terraced cottage in the York suburb of Heworth, situated about three miles from her place of work. Peter telephoned his daughter's manager at Goodricke College and was told that she had not reported for duty on either 19 or 20 March. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Peter had a spare key for her house and was worried sick, he raced over to the house and his fears were realised when he found that Claudia was nowhere to be seen. Her father, Peter is a solicitor and her mother, Joan is a stay at home housewife. The public was gripped by the whole situation. Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway stated that Lawrence "knew several people who live on the island" and that she may have "received job offers" while there. "Disappointing news though this is for Claudias family, we have not given up hope, and I do believe that one day we will be able to tell them what happened to Claudia.". The longer you carry it, the greater the anguish you are causing to Claudias family and friends. Claudia Lawrence was a chef at the University of York who vanished from the sleepy village of Hewarth, York, on the 18th of March, 2009. It baffles me. January 17 - Mr Lawrence says he is "hugely depressed and disappointed" as the investigation into his daughter's disappearance is scaled down. Joan Lawrence, is 76 and lives alone in North Yorkshire.