Gaynor Lord detectives have ‘some indications’ why missing mother-of-three left work early on the day she vanished – as friend reveals her mystery phone calls

Police have ‘some indications’ why missing Gaynor Lord left work early on the day she vanished, it emerged yesterday.

The mother-of-three walked out of her workplace over an hour before her shift was due to end and hurried through the streets of Norwich.

Possessions including her rings, mobile phone and clothing were found in a park in the city hours later, while her coat was in a nearby river.

Speaking near the spot in Wensum Park where Mrs Lord, 55, is believed to have gone into the water, Chief Superintendent Dave Buckley of Norfolk Police said: ‘We’ve got some indications as to why she behaved the way in which she did but what we’re doing is we’re just working backwards now to actually truly understand what may have taken place.

‘We’re just cautious of everything we know at the moment because clearly we’ve ended up in the situation we have, which is not usual.’ 

The mother-of-three (pictured) walked out of her workplace over an hour before her shift was due to end and hurried through the streets of Norwich

Police released new CCTV footage yesterday showing the last time Mrs Lord was caught on camera, about ten minutes before her second call to Ms Butcher

Members of the dive team searching the River Wensum at Wensum Park in Norwich today

Mrs Lord’s colleagues have insisted her behaviour was normal prior to her disappearance. A co-worker at the Bullards Gin concession said she seemed her ‘normal, happy self’ days before.

A floor manager in the department store added: ‘There was nothing to suggest at all that something like this would happen… She didn’t show any signs of distress or concern.’

READ MORE: Gaynor Lord detectives release last known CCTV of missing mother walking down the street minutes before she vanished as police say they can’t explain her behaviour that day

But a friend of hers, who was a salesman at a nearby store, revealed yesterday that Mrs Lord had told him she was ‘feeling a bit funny’ shortly before her disappearance.

‘It was very nonchalant. She said she was feeling a bit funny, a bit off,’ the man told the Daily Telegraph. 

He added: ‘We had a brief conversation about anxiety. She didn’t say she did or didn’t suffer with it… She had no mental health problems that I was aware of.’

Mrs Lord’s friend Julie Butcher said she received two phone calls from the mother on the day of her disappearance. About half an hour before she left the department store, Mrs Lord called and asked where Ms Butcher was.

Ms Butcher was forced to cut the conversation short after receiving another call from a work client, but promised to call back. 

The friend said she tried to ring Mrs Lord a few minutes later but could not get through, adding: ‘I think she was still at work when she called me, I don’t know. But maybe that’s why she couldn’t answer.’

Ms Butcher received another call from the missing mother at 4.15pm but said it ‘sounded like a pocket call’. 

Gaynor Lord was last seen on Friday afternoon as she left work early from Norwich city centre

Divers in the river at Wensum Park today as the search for Gaynor Lord continues

This timeline shows what we know so far about how Gaynor Lord’s disappearance unfolded

Divers are seen going under the water in Wensum Park in Norwich on Thursday afternoon

Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today

Timeline of Gaynor Lord’s movements before going missing 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2023

• 2.44pm – Gaynor is working at the Bullards Gin counter in the basement at Jarrold department store – her clothing is clearly visible
• 2.45-2.46pm – She leaves the store via loading bay on Bedford Street
• 2.47pm – Walks onto London Street past Cosy Club
• 2.48pm – Gaynor makes her way onto Queens Street and walks toward the Cathedral
• 3.22pm – Gaynor is seen on The Close at the cathedral entrance – shortly before exiting through the archway she puts her coat on
• 3.23pm – She is seen to walk away from the cathedral on Queens Street – here you can see a clear image of the coat she was wearing
• 3.49pm – This is the last sighting of Gaynor on CCTV near the Playhouse on St George’s Street
• 3.53pm – Walks along St Crispins Road towards Pitt Street
• 4.01pm – Gaynor walks up St Augustines Street – her final movements captured in CCTV before going missing

The friend said: ‘I keep going over the conversation. If I hadn’t answered that call [from her client] would she have talked to me? 

‘I feel terrible. I feel so sorry for the family… It’s not like Gaynor to do this.’ 

Police released new CCTV footage yesterday showing the last time Mrs Lord was caught on camera, about ten minutes before her second call to Ms Butcher.

Taken just over an hour after she left the department store where she works and several hours before her belongings were found, she could be seen walking calmly along St Augustines Street in the city centre. 

She was later spotted by a woman, who said Mrs Lord appeared ‘quite calm’ as she performed a yoga pose with her coat on the ground beside her.

Norfolk Police, who have received around 30 calls from members of the public in response to appeals for information, don’t believe anyone else was involved in her disappearance but have not ruled it out.

Underwater searches were continuing yesterday. 

Chief Superintendent Buckley added: ‘We’re really concerned about her safety. We are pursuing the inquiry that she’s missing and alive.’

The force has been liaising with Lancashire Police, which handled the investigation into Nicola Bulley, who went missing in similar circumstances earlier this year. 

Her body was found in the River Wyre and an inquest concluded she fell in and died of accidental drowning.

Mrs Lord’s husband Clive, 63, has not commented on the case.

Police search the New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum in Norwich this morning

Detectives are using sonar equipment at the River Wensum in Norwich this morning

The New Mills Yard area of the River Wensum is the search focus for police this morning

Police continue to scour the River Wensum by Wensum Park in Norwich, pictured yesterday

Police teams continue to hunt for clues in the disappearance of Gaynor Lord in Norwich today

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