Police probe five-hour gap between sighting of Gaynor Lord and clothes being found at Norwich park
Police are probing a five-and-a-half hour gap between a missing mother leaving work and her clothing being found in a city park.
Gaynor Lord, 55, left her job at a department store in Norwich and was last seen walking along London Street, towards the cathedral, at 2.35pm on Friday.
After failing to return home, police confirmed a member of the public found her clothing in Wensum Park and contacted them around 8.10pm that evening.
As police prepare to bring in specialist search teams from outside of Norfolk, officers are trawling through CCTV and appealing for dashcam and doorbell footage to help them piece together what happened to Ms Lord during that five-hour period.
Read the latest on this story:
Supt Wes Hornigold, of Norfolk Police, said the force was focusing its efforts on Wensum Park, where the missing mother's phone and jewellery were also found.
"The evidence thus far would lead us to believe Wensum Park is the best chance of finding Gaynor," he said.
"We keep an open mind, but the nature and circumstances of how and where the clothing was found mean we continue to keep our efforts focused on the park - not just the water, but the park surrounding, we're speaking to who live in the area.
"We're absolutely not taking anything for granted."
Pushed on whether they believe Ms Lord may have been the victim of an attack, Supt Hornigold stressed that the investigation remained a "missing person inquiry at the moment" but insisted officers were "leaving no stone unturned" in their efforts to find out what had happened.
Wensum Park, on the outskirts of the city centre, is likely to remain closed until at least the end of Tuesday.
Teams were also seen searching bins around the park, while police were scanning the area with drones.
Supt Hornigold said Norfolk Police was taking advice from specialists and were preparing to bring in resources from outside the county - which is thought to include under-water search equipment.
He added that Ms Lord's disappearance was "completely out of character" and that officers were working closely with her family to try to understand her possible movements better.
"We're doing everything we possibly can to make sure our search efforts here at Wensum Park are progressed in the best way possible," he said. "It's a really worrying time for Gaynor's family. The more time passes, I can't imagine how difficult it must be for them."
Ms Lord, who worked at Jarrold's department store in Norwich city centre, is described as white, 5ft 6ins tall, and was wearing a white shirt and yellow tank top with a large olive-coloured coat over the top. She has blonde shoulder length hair in a bob and wore dark-rimmed glasses.
Police would like to hear from anyone who may have seen her since she was reported missing.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know