The body of missing mum Victoria Taylor has tragically been found in the River Derwent, police have confirmed.
Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox delivered the heartbreaking news after the 34-year-old vanished with her personal items near the River Derwent in Malton on September 30. Speaking from Fulford Police Station in York, he confirmed: “Today we’ve recovered a body in the search for missing 34-year-old Victoria Taylor. The police underwater search team made the discovery at approximately 11.45 am this morning.”
He added that the body was found “close to where Ms Taylor’s belongings were recovered”. While formal identification is yet to be carried out, Victoria’s family have been informed of the development and “understandably, they are distressed by today’s news,” said the police chief.
He continued: “While today’s outcome is not what anyone wished for, Victoria’s family have asked me to express thanks to those who supported North Yorkshire Police and the emergency services.”
Earlier, North Yorkshire police had addressed the “significant possibility” that she could have entered the river after finding a baseball cap and rucksack belonging to the mum. A frantic search had been launched to find Victoria, involving divers and volunteers, reports the Mirror.
Officers had previously reported that she left her home at 9am and was seen on CCTV at 11.35am at the BP garage on Welham Road in the Norton area of Malton. She was later spotted at 11.53am at Malton bus station on Railway Street.
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Further footage revealed Ms Taylor heading towards the Riverside Walk play park at 12.30pm. The case has garnered significant public interest, with almost 11,000 individuals joining a Facebook group to keep up with developments.
The disappearance of Victoria Taylor has “understandably had a wider impact on the communities of Norton and Malton”, and her family have felt an “enormous amount of heartache since the day she was reported missing”, Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox said.
He told a press briefing: “The disappearance of Victoria has understandably had a wider impact on the communities of Norton and Malton. Victoria’s family and those closest to her have understandably felt enormous amount of heartache since the day she was reported missing, and they’ve previously acknowledged just how grateful they are to the local community for the overwhelming level of support that they have had as a family.
“Whilst today’s outcome is not what anybody would wish for, Victoria’s family have again asked me to express their thanks to all of those who’ve supported North Yorkshire Police and other emergency services in our efforts to locate Victoria.
“They’ve also asked me to ask for time and space for them as a family to come to terms with the information, the news that they’ve been provided with today. And our thoughts remain very much with them at this time.”
He also thanked members of the public who made contact with North Yorkshire Police in response to their appeals for information.
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