POLICE have stressed that the Claudia Lawrence case "is not closed” 13 years on from her disappearance despite having “no trace” of her.
North Yorkshire Police say they remain committed to establishing the truth about what happened to the missing University of York chef.
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Claudia was last seen and heard from on March 18, 2009, prompting the largest and most complex missing person inquiry in the force’s history.
However, despite two separate inquiries and a comprehensive review involving hundreds of police personnel and national experts, no trace has ever been found of the university student.
The force say they vigorously investigated all possible, viable lines of enquiry in a bid to discover what happened to Ms Lawrence, who was 35 at the time of her disappearance.
This includes the most recent search activity conducted last summer at Sand Hutton gravel pits.
In January 2017, North Yorkshire Police took the decision to scale back the investigation and move into a “reactive” phase.
However, Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox, who leads the inquiry, said that although the case is in a reactive phase: "I want to stress that it is not closed”
He added: “This announcement followed an extensive three-year review and reinvestigation of the original case, conducted by a team of 20 dedicated investigators and supported by experts in varying fields and from the National Crime Agency.
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“It was made clear at the time, however, that the then newly-formed Cleveland and North Yorkshire Cold Case Review Team would retain responsibility for reviewing new information which may be relevant to the inquiry.”
He added that every piece of new information or material is “thoroughly assessed for investigation value and tested” against material acquired over the last 13 years.
He said: “I hope that the nature and scale of activity undertaken in August last year demonstrates that we continue in our efforts to thoroughly investigate any line of enquiry which is deemed pursuable, and, despite the passage of time, we remain determined to provide the answers that Claudia’s mother, sister and her many friends so desperately need and deserve.”
Detective Superintendent Fox concluded that due to the amount of material acquired it may be the case that “what could appear to be insignificant, could actually be the key to finally resolving this inquiry.”
If you have any information that could assist the investigation, contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and pass details to the Force Control Room quoting “Claudia Lawrence”.
If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please pass information to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 quoting “Claudia Lawrence, North Yorkshire Police”. A report can also be made online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
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