A body found in the search for Gaynor Lord has been formally identified as the mother-of-three.

The remains were recovered from the River Wensum on Friday, a week after Mrs Lord disappeared.

The 55-year-old was last seen on CCTV walking along St Augustines Street in Norwich, at 4.01pm on Friday 8 December, having left work early at Jarrolds department store in Norwich city centre.

“Police can confirm the body of woman found in the River Wensum in Norwich on Friday has been formally identified as Gaynor Lord,” Norfolk Police said on Monday.

They said that Mrs Lord’s cause of death is yet to be confirmed, but “early indications” are “consistent with drowning”.

Mrs Lord’s clothing, mobile phone, glasses and jewellery, including two rings, were later discovered at various locations in Wensum Park.

Her coat was found in the river that runs through the park.

Her body was recovered after a specialist dive team combed through a stretch of the River Wensum where officers said there was a “high probability” Mrs Lord had entered the water.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

“Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Gaynor’s disappearance and a file is being prepared for the coroner,” police said.

They added there was “no evidence of third party involvement” in the case and that they were confident she did not meet anyone on the way to the park where she was last seen.

Previously, the force said they had not been able to establish Mrs Lord’s state of mind when she went missing with “any degree of confidence”.

A friend of Mrs Lord’s, Julie Butcher, told Sky News that she received a missed call from the mother-of-three’s mobile phone minutes after she was last seen in CCTV footage.

Ms Butcher said she spoke to Mrs Lord at 2.37pm – a few minutes before she left work early – and then received a missed call from her shortly after she was last seen on CCTV.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

“I answered the call and said ‘who is it?’ and she said ‘it’s Gaynor’,” Ms Butcher said of the first call.

“Then my phone rang and it was one of my clients, so I said to Gaynor can I call you back and she said ‘yes’.

“I rang her back and then she didn’t answer, so I called her again and left a message, and then I messaged her on WhatsApp.”

Ms Butcher described the second call from Mrs Lord as a “pocket call”.

“It sounded like she was walking along,” she said.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Floral tributes to Mrs Lord were laid near the gates of Wensum Park following the discovery of the body.

One of them said: “Gaynor may you be at peace. God bless your family.”

Related posts:

Former Liverpool star and TV pundit Ian St John dies ‘I do believe in myself’: Solskjaer insists he won’t quit after Man United thrashed by Liverpool Boy, 13, died after leaving school bus early and jumping off Tower Bridge into Thames Seven more cases where Met strip-searched children referred to police watchdog Transgender man who tricked women into sexual relationships jailed for 10 years Train drivers from 12 companies to go on strike again later this month Eighth person confirmed to have died after explosion at block of flats in Jersey What has changed since 31 people died crossing the English Channel in a small boat? Motor neurone disease cure ‘possible’ Watchdog to investigate Rishi Sunak over possible failure to declare an interest Mayor wants Britain’s ‘wonkiest’ pub rebuilt ‘brick by brick’ after fire Met Police cuts ties with adviser who led controversial chant at pro-Palestinian rally