The husband of Gaynor Lord – financial adviser Clive Lord – is ‘totally lost’ and ‘doesn’t understand at all what happened’ after a body was found during a search for the missing mum.
Police searching for the mum-of-three yesterday announced they had found the body of a woman in River Wensum in Norwich.
The body has not yet been formally identified and the case is still officially being treated as a missing person’s probe, but it is understood her family is being supported by specialist officers.
A family friend told the Times: ‘Gaynor’s husband Clive is totally lost.
‘He doesn’t understand at all what’s happened.’
Chief Superintendent Dave Buckley of Norfolk Constabulary also confirmed the missing mum did not meet anybody on the way to the park after previous speculation that she may have ‘met a mystery person at Norwich Cathedral’.
In a statement on Friday, Supt Buckley said: ‘We remain open-minded to the circumstances of Gaynor’s disappearance and will continue to pursue all lines of inquiry to ascertain why she went missing.
‘I am keen to say this remains a missing person inquiry at this stage. I am also satisfied at the moment based on the evidence we have that Gaynor did not meet anybody on the way to the park and we now have a better understanding of her movements through the city centre.
‘While this is not the outcome we wished for our search has always predominantly focused on the river and the park.
We will now need to complete a post-mortem examination to establish a means of death – but I would reiterate at this stage that there is no evidence of third party involvement’.
Gaynor, 55, disappeared last Friday after leaving work early, appearing to leave the shop where she worked with a smile.
For the next hour, CCTV footage showed her moving hurriedly through the city centre streets- walking past a bar, going into Norwich Cathedral, and then heading about a mile north towards the park.
A witness saw her perform a ‘yoga pose’ near the river shortly after 4pm last Friday afternoon, which was the last known sighting of her.
She is also believed to have dialled close friend Julie Butcher about 15 minutes later.
Ms Butcher, who said she could not speak to Gaynor because she was busy with a client, called her back several minutes later but could not get through.
‘I keep going over the conversation,’ she told the BBC. ‘If I hadn’t answered that call [from the client] would she have talked to me? I feel terrible. I feel so sorry for the family.’
Later that evening, the mum’s mobile phone, coat, ring and glasses were found nearby as police scoured Wensum Park in search of her.
Police divers were later seen removing a large black bag from the river on Friday.
Earlier this week, Gaynor’s youngest daughter Alexandra Lord, 22 pleaded for help from the public with an online appeal that read: ‘If anyone knows anything please do contact the police.
‘We want her home.’
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