Missing Victoria Taylor search is giving me nightmares - I'm worried they'll find my daughter

The mother of missing Claudia Lawrence has spoken of the harrowing impact the search for another missing woman, Victoria Taylor, has had on her. Joan Lawrence, 81, experienced "a hell of a shock" upon seeing the police appeal for Victoria, who went missing last week, near her home.

Police searches along the River Derwent at the end of her street, with fears that they might find her daughter Claudia, left Joan with nightmares and flashbacks. Claudia vanished in 2009, and now Joan is reaching out to Victoria's family, hoping to spare them the anguish she has suffered.

Victoria, 34, was last seen over a week ago on Monday morning leaving her house in Malton, North Yorkshire. She was subsequently spotted on CCTV buying soft beverages at the M&S store located in the BP garage and then near the bus station. She is then believed to have headed towards the riverbank via a children's play area, where some of her belongings were later discovered, reports Yorkshire Live.

The police operation, using sonar and kayaks, continues along the river, with authorities maintaining that while there is no indication of foul play, they are keeping an open mind. For Joan, whose daughter Claudia, a university chef from Malton, disappeared at the age of 35 from her home in Heworth, the current search efforts revive painful memories.

Joan, reflecting on the recent events, shared her shock and distress: "When I heard the news bulletins, I got a hell of a shock. I could not believe it was happening again. It's been frightening and brings it all back."

She revealed that the ongoing search for another missing person has triggered painful memories of her own daughter's disappearance, saying: "I'm having nightmares and flashbacks again. Seeing them search the river, I'm wondering all the time, 'what if they find Claudia? '"

Joan, who regularly drives over the bridge being searched, noted the impact of seeing new missing posters, particularly those of Victoria with her "beautiful eyes and a lovely smile."

She recalled how her daughter Claudia's image became a fixture in the public eye during the search efforts: "It made me think of all Claudia's missing posters. Her picture was on drip mats in pubs, one was outside my house."

In a show of solidarity and understanding, Joan reached out to Victoria's family, offering support and a listening ear: "They can ring me in the middle of the night if they can't sleep. I want them to know I'll be here for them and I'd meet them in private."

Joan, who has endured over 15 years of uncertainty, expressed her hope that no other family should suffer such an ordeal: "I've had 15 and a half years of not knowing, I don't want another family to go through that."