Police issue update into disappearance of missing mum Victoria Taylor

Police searching for missing mum Victoria Taylor have issued and update - and said there is a 'significant possibility' that she entered a river.

Ms Taylor, 34, disappeared from her home in Malton, North Yorkshire, on Monday September 30. A number of her personal possessions were found close to the River Derwent in the town.

Officers, drones and divers have been conducting extensive searches in the area but have so far found no sign of the missing mum. North Yorkshire Police has now said additional CCTV footage has been found that showed Ms Taylor walking towards a park near the water’s edge.

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She is said to have left her home at 9am on that day and was then seen on CCTV at 11.35am at the BP garage on Welham Road in the Norton area of Malton, where she bought several items.

A further sighting was captured at 11.53am at Malton bus station on Railway Street.

In an update on Wednesday Chief Superintendent Fiona Willey said of the footage: “Victoria is seen to be carrying a bag which we believe contains the items she purchased at the BP garage.

“Additional witness evidence supports the fact that Victoria did not enter the station and we have no reason to believe that she used public transport at that time.

“In the last 24 hours we have also recovered further CCTV footage which shows Victoria walking towards the play park on Riverside Walk. This was at 12.30pm.

“Various items that belonged to Victoria have been recovered from this location.”

Chief Superintendent Willey said there was no indication of any third party involvement.

She told reporters: “Based on the discovery of Victoria’s belongings so close to the water’s edge, we must accept the significant possibility that Victoria has entered the River Derwent.

“Searches are currently under way, taking place on the river, and those searches have been taking place above and below the water surface.

“The team are using specialist sonar equipment which gives officers a view below the surface. The use of this specialist resource will continue in the coming days.

“Additional specialist police search officers are using drones to scour the rural areas close to where Victoria’s possessions were also found.”

Chief Superintendent Willey said the disappearance of Ms Taylor had shocked the local community, and the family “take comfort in the overwhelming amount of support from people both locally and further afield”.

She added: “We have seen a small amount of misinformation and speculation, which is not helpful and is causing unnecessary anguish to Victoria’s family at this time.

“Victoria’s family have made it clear following the sharing of this inaccurate information that their wish is to work only with North Yorkshire Police.”

Last week, Ms Taylor’s sisters Emma and Heidi said in a statement: “We currently feel sick, distraught and lost following the disappearance of Vixx, but we are trying to focus on the children in the family to maintain a sense of routine at this difficult time.”

Ms Taylor has been described as white, approximately 5ft 6in, and was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black Adidas original puffer-style jacket with white stripes down the sleeves, a grey Jack Wills hooded jumper and she was carrying a salmon/pink Vans backpack.