Police have issued a fresh call for information 12 years on from the disappearance of chef Claudia Lawrence, who is suspected to have been murdered.
Miss Lawrence, from York, was reported missing on March 18 2009 after she failed to turn up for a 6am shift at work at the University of York.
Police believe Miss Lawrence, who was 35 at the time, was murdered, but her body has never been found.
Her father Peter spent years campaigning for the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill, also known as Claudia’s Law, which allows relatives to take control of their missing loved ones’ financial matters.
The law was passed in April 2017 and came into force in 2019, however Mr Lawrence died last month without ever knowing what happened to his daughter.
Now, 12 years on from the last sighting of Miss Lawrence, family friend Martin Dales is calling on anyone with information to come forward.
He said in a statement: “Despite the exhaustive efforts of (Claudia’s) late father Peter, family, friends and North Yorkshire Police, there are still no answers and it is tragic that Peter has died not knowing what has happened to her.
“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.”
Police previously said they “strongly suspect key and vital information” which would offer a breakthrough in the case of Claudia’s disappearance is being “withheld”.
Nine people have been questioned as part of the investigation, but no charges have ever been brought.
Jo Youle, chief executive of the charity Missing People – which Mr Lawrence worked closely with in campaigning for Claudia’s Law – echoed Mr Dales’s appeal for information.
She said: “It is now 12 years since Claudia Lawrence disappeared from York. Our thoughts are with Claudia’s family and loved ones as they mark another anniversary that no family wants to go through.
“The search for Claudia continues and anyone who may have information regarding her disappearance can call or text the charity Missing People confidentially, and for free, on 116 000 or online at www.missingpeople.org.uk/sightings.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101.
