Christmas appeal for missing chef

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/8424576.stm

Version 0 of 1.

The chief constable of North Yorkshire Police has used his annual Christmas message to appeal to the public for help in tracing Claudia Lawrence.

Grahame Maxwell has urged anyone with information about the York chef's disappearance to contact the force.

Miss Lawrence, 35, was last seen leaving the University of York's Goodricke College, where she worked, on 18 March.

Police are treating her disappearance as suspected murder.

In his message, Mr Maxwell said: "Somebody out there knows what has happened to Claudia, someone out there has information which could assist us in determining what has happened to her.

"As you enjoy your Christmas with your family, spare a thought for Claudia's family and what they must be going through.

I would ask people to look at their conscience Det Supt Ray Galloway

"If you have any information at all, no matter how small, which could help us find out what has happened to her, then please contact the police."

A letter from Mr Maxwell has also been sent to residents who live along Miss Lawrence's route to work, in which he thanks the community for their continued support and help during the inquiry.

Det Supt Ray Galloway, the officer in charge of the investigation, appealed for people to "look at their conscience" as Miss Lawrence's family faced Christmas without her.

Mobile phone

Mr Galloway said: "This time of year we are at Christmas and it's a particularly poignant time of year, it's a family time of year.

"Claudia's family have now been in some distress not knowing what has happened to their daughter, their friend, their sister, for some nine months now.

"I would ask people to look at their conscience. If they do have any piece of information that they think could take us forward, please, at this time of year in particular, share it with us."

The detective said Miss Lawrence's mobile phone had still not been found. He said the university tried to contact her on the morning she failed to turn up for work, but it went to voicemail. Just after noon on 19 March it "detached from the network".

"I have to know why that went down just after midday on the 19th," Mr Galloway said. "I have a real concern about that situation."