A 59-year-old man has today been arrested on suspicion of the murder of missing chef Claudia Lawrence, who disappeared five years ago. North Yorkshire Police has said forensic examinations and searches are being conducted in York, where she went missing in 2009, and a car has also been seized. The force made a Crimewatch appeal two months ago showing CCTV footage of a mystery vehicle, believed to be a Ford Focus, outside her home on the day she vanished.
Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, who is leading the case, said in March he also wanted to trace a 'hugely significant' man, in his late fifties, seen outside her house on the same morning. The suspect was seen outside her house in Heworth Road, York, by a witness at 6.45am on March 19 2009 and was described as having with grey mid-length hair, and wearing a three-quarter length sandy coloured mac. The force has today refused to reveal whether this is the man arrested or if it was a Ford Focus they have seized.
Miss Lawrence was last seen at around 3.05p on March 18 five years ago, walking back from work towards her home. It is thought she was abducted and murdered on March 19. Detectives said today that Claudia's body has still not been found. Her father Peter Lawrence confirmed he had been told the news this morning. He said: 'I'm very pleased they appear to be making progress by making this arrest.'
The force launched a review of the investigation last year after a new major crime unit was established by the force. Miss Lawrence was 35 when she was reported missing by her father, Peter, on March 20 2009. She was last seen at around 3.05pm on March 18, walking back towards her home, and that night she spoke to both her parents on the phone. It is thought something happened to her after she left for work early on March 19. Jen King, one of Claudia's closest friends, said the arrest showed progress was being made with the investigation.
She said: 'It has been five years. It proves it's very much still alive in the minds of the police and it just goes to show despite the accusations from people that the police are not bothered they are very much bothered about it. 'If it goes somewhere that's great but if not it shows the investigation is ongoing. 'It's a step towards this one day being resolved.' Mr Malyn's team has spent two months re-examining Miss Lawrence's small, terraced home. They also found the DNA profile of an unknown man on a cigarette butt in the university chef's Vauxhall Corsa.
Police have said before that Miss Lawrence's mobile and rucksack have never been found. Her father has mounted a five-year campaign to find his daughter. At the anniversary in March, he discussed the 'torture' his family had suffered through five years of not knowing what has happened to her. It is the first arrest to have been made of someone suspected of causing Claudia harm.
Case so far: What the police know about Claudia Lawrence's disappearance and who they still want to trace Detectives investigating Claudia Lawrence's disappearance said today there could be more arrests as they try to trace others who may have been involved in her murder. A cold case review started last year found DNA on a cigarette butt in her car which could lead them to a mystery 'left-handed smoker'. It fuelled speculation the 35-year-old chef could have been seeing a secret boyfriend in the weeks before she vanished five years ago.
Using techniques not available in 2009, police found the potentially vital DNA profile on a discarded Embassy Regal cigarette butt. It was found in the ashtray of her Vauxhall Corsa, which was being repaired when she went missing. They want to find out if the evidence from the car, which had been off the road ?for a number of weeks? when she vanished, is linked to a man who has been dubbed the 'left-handed smoker'. The man was seen standing with a woman at 5.35am on the day Miss Lawrence disappeared, at a point on her route to work and at an appropriate time.
The couple were seen by a passing cyclist and were facing each other several feet apart on Melrosegate Bridge. The man, dressed in a dark hooded top, was smoking from a cigarette held in his left hand. Police also want to trace a man who told shop workers he knew Miss Lawrence or used to work with her, but has never been traced. The man, identified on CCTV, mentioned the case to staff in Tang Hall, York, on April 1, 2009 - almost two weeks after she disappeared.
They also found extra fingerprints and DNA material throughout her house but have found no match. Analysis of Miss Lawrence's phone records indicate she was spending an unusual amount of time ?socialising? in the Acomb suburb of York during this period and police believe somebody she was seeing there is ?yet to come forward.? Evidence inside Miss Lawrence?s house indicates she left as normal early in the morning of Thursday 19 March to walk the three miles to work at the University of York?s Goodricke College for a 6am shift. Another more curious item police want to trace is Miss Lawrence?s set of GHD hair straighteners.
Police are investigating how and why Miss Lawrence's GHD hair straighteners could have disappeared
The high-profile police inquiry has always focused on Miss Lawrence?s private life and her parents have been upset by reports about her lovers. Police have previously revealed at the time she went missing she was in a secret ?long term casual relationship? with a man who was in a serious relationship himself. She also went out with a different mystery man 48 hours before she vanished. Miss Lawrence arrived for her early shift looking tired and told a work colleague she had been out until 4 or 5am with a boyfriend. Miss Lawrence was a prolific user of her mobile phone and further ?cell site activity? analysis showed she was often in Acomb during her spare time in the weeks before she disappeared. Although known to drink in a pub there, police believe there could be vital information about this aspect of her social life that they have not been told about.
Miss Lawrence?s silver Samsung D900 mobile has never turned up. It went dead at 12.10pm on the day she went missing. Police said in March they don?t think it ran out of battery power and believe ?it was deliberately turned off by someone.? When police were called in they found Miss Lawrence?s bed made and dirty breakfast dishes in the kitchen sink. Police ?favour the theory? she set off for work as planned with her mobile and rucksack containing her chef?s whites but never made it.
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