The mother of the missing Claudia Lawrence has urged police to review the case of a convicted murderer as part of their investigation.
Claudia, who worked at York University, disappeared 14 years ago today.
The 35-year-old chef was due to start work at 6 a.m. a 45-minute walk from her home in Heworth, but she never showed up.
Police believe that Claudia was murdered, but no body has ever been found despite extensive investigations.
His mother, Joan, said a recent wave of new witnesses coming forward “cannot just be a coincidence.”
He has urged police to reinvestigate the case of Christopher Halliwell, a former Swindon taxi driver.
He murdered Becky Godden-Edwards, 20, in 2003 and Sian O’Callaghan, 22, in 2011.
Joan, speaking from her home in Malton, North Yorkshire, told the Mirror: “Many witnesses mention ‘piercing blue eyes’. It seems there is something we are all missing.
‘Surely the police should be looking at this again?’
There are also disturbing similarities between the date Claudia was reported missing, March 19, and Halliwell.
Joan continued: “I think one of his girlfriends left him on the date and it’s the day he kidnapped Sian in 2011.
“I am concerned that the police have written it off without fully investigating.”
A “treasure trove” of items belonging to Halliwell was also found in a lake in Ramsbury, Wiltshire in 2014.
Joan has asked for the chance to see the items, as she “might recognize something from Claudia that could be vital.”
North Yorkshire Police issued a new statement this morning asking anyone with information to come forward.
The statement reads: “On the 14th anniversary of the disappearance and suspected murder of Claudia Lawrence in York, our thoughts remain with Claudia’s loved ones at this most difficult and moving time of the year.
“Claudia’s family, friends and the general public can rest assured that all new information is carefully and thoroughly evaluated by the Cleveland and North Yorkshire Police Cold Case Review Unit.
‘Any information that is assessed to be credible and capable of development will be acted on. Hopefully this is demonstrated by the enhanced police activity that took place at the end of 2021.
“While the investigation remains reactive, North Yorkshire Police are committed to providing the answers those closest to Claudia need.
“We are once again reaching out to the public to help us in our ongoing efforts to find those answers.”
Earlier, sources close to the investigation revealed that Claudia’s Samsung D900 phone was attached to a mast next to York University, where she worked, when her manager called at 10am on March 19.
The evidence supports the police theory that someone close to her killed her.
Two hours after her manager called, phone records indicate her phone was turned off.
Claudia’s father, Peter, died in February at the age of 74 without knowing what happened to his daughter.
In his first public appeal, he said: ‘I don’t think she was kidnapped in the sense of a forcible transfer.
“It would be quite difficult to do that, even with a little girl like Claudia, because she kicked and screamed and yelled, but there’s always the chance that someone she vaguely knows offered her a ride.”
Despite her highly publicized disappearance, Joan recently revealed how letters continue to be sent to Claudia’s cabin several times a year demanding payment of the license fee.
The 79-year-old continues to maintain her daughter’s former home on her own after her ex-husband Peter died aged 74 in 2021.
He drives there from Malton, North Yorkshire, every other week.
‘Recently there was a letter, threatening a £1,000 fine if the license was not paid. It’s unbelievable,’ he said.
I’ve written to tell them what happened, and the police are supposed to be sorting it out, but the letters keep coming.
The BBC later issued an apology for the problem.
Anyone with information that may assist the investigation should make a report via the North Yorkshire Police website or call 101, select option 1 and pass the details on to the Force Control Room.
Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their Anonymous Online Form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal data is taken, the information cannot be traced or recorded, and it will not go to court.
Please cite ‘Claudia Lawrence’ when providing details.
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