Who is Claudia Lawrence from C5’s Vanished: The Search for Britain’s Missing live crime documentary?
CLAUDIA Lawrence disappeared after she finished work more than 15 years ago.
Although her body has never been found, her disappearance has been treated as murder. Here’s what we know about the missing woman.
Who is Claudia Lawrence?
Claudia Elizabeth Lawrence was last seen and heard from in March 2009.
She was a chef at Goodricke College, University of York, at the time she went missing.
Though the police have approached Claudia’s case as a murder, arresting and subsequently releasing several individuals, her fate remains uncertain.
Claudia was born on February 27, 1974, in Malton, Yorkshire, and enjoyed a comfortable upbringing, receiving a private education.
The then 35-year-old completed her culinary training at a local catering college and became a qualified chef.
Her career first spanned various hotels and restaurants in York, though she eventually grew weary of the demanding hours.
In 2006, she became a chef at the University of York’s Goodricke College, serving in the university’s main campus canteen.
Throughout her life, Claudia stayed single but led a vibrant social life.
She had multiple brief relationships simultaneously.
She also maintained several secretive relationships with men, including those who were either married or otherwise in relationships.
Her family was reportedly largely unaware of her romantic entanglements with men.
These relationships, and their secretive nature, later fuelled media speculation and influenced the police’s approach to her disappearance.
After relocating to Heworth in 2007, Claudia frequently visited The Nag’s Head pub near her residence.
According to the Yorkshire Post, she began relationships with several men she encountered at the pub, and her father acknowledged that these relationships often led to “awkward situations” with the partners of her lovers.
Her sister Ali Sims said: “I think it has been sensationalised to a degree and she’s not that bad. I know she wasn’t a complete angel, but it got out of hand. She’s a lovely, sweet woman who did not deserve this.”
Claudia’s disappearance sparked a £1million manhunt with cops pouring through phone records and more than 2,500 statements.
When did Claudia Lawrence go missing?
On the morning of March 18, 2009, at 6am, Claudia began her workday at the Roger Kirk Centre in Goodricke College.
She finished her shift at 2pm and was captured by CCTV a few minutes later as she left the college on foot.
By around 3pm, she appeared on CCTV again, this time passing a shop on Melrosegate close to her home, and was also spotted by a neighbour.
That evening, Claudia had phone conversations with both her parents.
Her mother recalled her being in a normal and relaxed mood.
During their conversation, they talked about plans for the upcoming Mother’s Day.
Claudia mentioned she was at home and planned to go to bed early since she needed to wake up before 5am the next day to walk to work, her car being in the shop.
The last text message she sent from her phone was at 8:23pm, and she received one last text at 9:12 pm.
After that, there was no further contact with Claudia, and she was not seen or heard from again.
Where was Claudia Lawrence last seen?
The last confirmed sighting of Claudia was in York on Wednesday, March 18, 2009.
That evening, she spoke with her parents, Joan and Peter, in what would be the last communication her family had with her.
A friend reported seeing her return home at 3:05pm that day, and there was also a sighting of her posting a letter nearby.
Claudia was scheduled to begin her shift at 6am on March 19 but failed to show up for work.
Her manager tried calling her mobile, which rang but redirected to voicemail and no further action was taken by the manager at that time.
That evening, she had plans to meet her friend Suzy Cooper at The Nag’s Head, but she did not show up.
Concerned by her absence and the lack of response on her usually active mobile phone, Cooper tried calling again the next morning without success.
Alarmed, Cooper contacted mutual friends, including George Forman, the landlord of The Nag’s Head, to ask about Claudia’s whereabouts.
On March 20, Cooper informed Claudia’s father, Peter, about the situation.
Peter called her manager at Goodricke College and learned that she had not reported for work on March 19 or 20.
Her father, along with Forman, used his key to enter Claudia’s house.
They found the home orderly, with dishes in the sink and the bed made, showing a normal morning routine.
Her handbag, containing her purse, bank cards, and passport, was still in the house.
Missing items included her mobile phone, a set of hair straighteners, and a backpack she used for carrying her chef’s whites.
The North Yorkshire Police (NYP) were notified around 2pm on March 20, and met with Peter at Claudia’s house later that day.
At first, the police were said to have been slow to act, considering Claudia not vulnerable and suspecting she might return after a short absence.
This is draining for all of us. As a family, we have had to live in a state of limbo for far too long.
Joan Lawrence
However, they checked her usual route to work and issued a public request for information as her family strongly believed she had been abducted.
After five weeks, the case escalated from a missing person to a suspected murder investigation.
In the wake of the police appeal, two further sightings were reported on the morning of March 19: one by a cyclist on Melrosegate bridge at 5:35am and another by a commuter around 6:05am near the university.
A couple had been seen arguing at the time.
The man was described as skinny, about 5’6”, and wearing a dark hoodie.
There was also CCTV footage released of a suspicious-looking man at the back of Claudia’s house in Heworth Place from 5.50am that morning, again in a black hoodie.
Wayne Fox, the Senior Investigating Officer from North Yorkshire Police, marked the 15th anniversary with a personal insight, reflection and support for Claudia’s family as the cold case inquiry continues.
He said: “Speaking purely as a parent, my thoughts as we enter the 15th year since Claudia Lawrence was reported missing, remain with her mum Joan.
“I cannot begin to understand the pain that Joan and her family feel every single day.”
Her mum Joan, 80, has never given up hope that her daughter – whose 50th birthday was on February 27, 2024 – is alive.
She told the Mirror: “All I want on Claudia’s birthday is to know what has happened. No matter how old your children are, they are still your babies.
“This is draining for all of us. As a family, we have had to live in a state of limbo for far too long.”
Tragically, Claudia’s dad died in February 2021 without ever finding out what happened to his daughter.
How to watch Vanished: The Search for Britain’s Missing?
Vanished: The Hunt for Britain’s Missing People was first broadcast in 2023.
Presented by Dan Walker and broadcast on Channel 5, it is a Crimewatch-style news factual series in conjunction with the Missing People charity and produced by ITN.
It’s a live studio discussion and pre-recorded cases of missing people across the UK.
Walker will also discuss the case of Alex Sloley, a teenager who went missing in 2008.
The programme hears from their loved ones, who are still searching for answers, and looks at the key questions that remain unanswered after all this time
Vanished: The Search for Britain’s Missing airs on Channel 5 at 7pm, Wednesday, 3 July.