Sixteen years ago, chef Claudia Lawrence disappeared without a trace, sparking one of the UK’s most high-profile missing person cases.
Now, a fresh revelation has come to light, providing a new perspective on her disappearance.
A dog walker, in an interview for a podcast, has shared that she found a backpack belonging to Claudia just days after she vanished.
This discovery adds another layer of mystery to an already perplexing case.
The Day Claudia Went Missing
Claudia Lawrence, 35, was last seen on March 19, 2009, after she failed to show up for her shift at York University. Despite an extensive search and a lengthy investigation, no clear answers have emerged about what happened to her.
Claudia’s disappearance has remained unsolved, leaving her family and the public searching for any clues that could lead to a resolution.
A Backpack and Sandwiches
In the latest episode of the Answers for Claudia podcast, a woman named Bev recounts an eerie encounter from the days following Claudia’s disappearance.
Bev claims to have found a purple and blue Karrimor backpack near a tree stump, by the River Tees in Ingleby Barwick, located about 40 miles from York.
The bag, which contained sandwiches wrapped in foil, was discovered just days after Claudia went missing.
At first, Bev left the bag alone, but it wasn’t until she saw a police press conference later that she realized the bag might be connected to the missing chef.
She remembers seeing a photo of the bag in the newspaper and immediately recognizing it as the one she had found.
However, when she returned to the scene, the backpack was gone.
A Mysterious Sighting
Further into the podcast, another lead is uncovered by a van driver named Dave.
He recalls seeing a woman, whom he now believes was Claudia, on the A1M near Wetherby, just a day before she was due at work.
After pulling over to call the police, Dave didn’t think much of it until a few days later when he saw Claudia’s face on the news.
He immediately connected the sighting and said, “That’s the woman off the A1, that’s her.”
A Hidden Loft and a Mother’s Heartbreak
The podcast also sheds light on a heartbreaking revelation from Claudia’s mother, Joan Lawrence.
During a recent visit to her daughter’s home with the podcast team, Joan discovered a hidden loft space that had never been searched.
Joan, now 81, had no idea this loft existed until then.
Though she initially said she didn’t want the police involved due to a lack of trust in their investigation, she has now agreed to allow officers to search the area.
“I am willing to hear what they have to say,” Joan explained, but she expressed frustration, saying, “They’ve had 16 years to find answers.”
She also hopes for an apology for what she described as the “first five years of the investigation,” which she believes were mishandled.
Each time she visits her daughter’s house, it brings back painful memories.
The Ongoing Search for Claudia
Claudia’s disappearance has haunted her family, friends, and the public for over a decade.
Her father, Peter, began to worry when she didn’t show up at her local pub, The Nag’s Head.
When she didn’t answer her phone, he visited her home, only to find it empty. A few weeks later, her case was escalated to a murder investigation, despite her body never being found.
The search, which cost over £1.5 million and involved hundreds of officers, has so far yielded no concrete answers.
As the anniversary of her disappearance approaches, hope remains that new clues will bring justice for Claudia.