Found Deceased UK - Gaynor Lord was last seen in Norwich city centre on London Street heading towards Norwich Cathedral, 2:35 pm, 8 December 2023

[Officer Dibble]

I wish they (or someone) would publish a map, for the benefit of those of us who are unfamiliar with Norwich city centre. At 2.50 she enters the cathedral grounds, and at 3.22 she exits "through the archway" which may possibly mean she exits from the cathedral grounds having stayed in them since 2.50, but not knowing Norwich I don't know. Certainly a cathedral close can be distinct and separate from what people call the cathedral grounds and it can have its own archway entrances. (Whether this is so in Norwich I don't know.)

Norfolk police say the last sighting of GL on CCTV was at 3.49. They then list three later times and places at which she was walking - and a fourth when she was either stationary or walking and in connection to which they refer to a sighting.

How are the police choosing what info to release? What we're getting is almost all to do with GL walking after she left work, rather than, say, any points at which she stayed still, or spoke to someone, or did something other than walking along, and what she did before she left work, whether an hour before or a week before.

Agree. It makes no sense to me

 

[ginnyw]

I think they've pieced her movements together quite well from this list on the Norfolk Police website. What doesn't make sense, and may be a reflection of GL's inner turmoil, is that she appears to go back to the Cathedral area a second time via the riverside walk.

2.45-2.46pm – She leaves the store via the loading bay on Bedford Street

2.47pm – Walks onto London Street past the Cosy Club

2.48pm – Gaynor makes her way onto Queens Street and walks toward the Cathedral

2.50pm – Gaynor walks into the cathedral grounds

2.57pm – Gaynor walks along Riverside Walk

3.12pm – Gaynor is seen walking back on Riverside Walk, on to Cotman Fields and crosses Bishopgate

3.13pm – Gaynor continues to walk on Riverside Road towards the cathedral

3.22pm – Gaynor is seen on The Close at the cathedral entrance – shortly before exiting through the archway she puts her coat on

3.23pm – She is seen to walk away from the cathedral on Queens Street – here you can see a clear image of the coat she was wearing

3.49pm – This is the last sighting of Gaynor on CCTV near the Playhouse on St George’s Street

3.53pm – Walks along St Crispins Road towards Pitt Street

4.01pm – Gaynor walks up St Augustines Street

4.03pm – Walks on to Bakers Road

4.07pm – The final sighting of Gaynor is on Green Hills Road/St Martins Road junction

 

[Kinderbelle]

Agree. It makes no sense to me

If you look back I included a rough map of her movements in a previous post. I think our local news website also eventually published one too.

ETA: Mine doesn't include some of the new movement they discovered but I can certainly edit it in.

 

[Kinderbelle]

Just to give some of you a visual. She went into the cathedral grounds and then turned around and out again the same way she came in. Excuse my crappy drawing, those are the streets she is known to have taken.

Here are the maps I threw together previously. Added one with the new info. What's confusing is they just say she entered and then was walking on Riverside walk, with no indication of how she got from the archway to the walk which is the other side of the Cathedral.

Edit: Purple is The Close, Blue is Cotman Fields and Red is Riverside Walk. No arrows because the Norfolk Constabulary site isn't clear on which directions she was walking in.

 

[Kinderbelle]

What doesn't make sense, and may be a reflection of GL's inner turmoil, is that she appears to go back to the Cathedral area a second time via the riverside walk.

The riverside walk goes right around the Cathedral. Plenty of people come in the Archway, walk down to the riverside, walk around to where it leads to the other side of the cathedral and leave, either around Bishopsgate or cut across back to the Archway.

It's an extremely popular walk and not unusual for hundreds of people every day to walk the route she did.

 

[JDG]

Agree. It makes no sense to me

there are maps if you read the thread. Google maps is also great for visuals.

 

[ginnyw]

My goodness, just seen the Clare Marshall missing thread. How very disturbing. Another lovely lady and a river search.

 

[Officer Dibble]

there are maps if you read the thread. Google maps is also great for visuals.

Thanks. I haven't the time to look up every single named road of the route on google maps.

 

[ginnyw]

Here are the maps I threw together previously. Added one with the new info. What's confusing is they just say she entered and then was walking on Riverside walk, with no indication of how she got from the archway to the walk which is the other side of the Cathedral.

Edit: Purple is The Close, Blue is Cotman Fields and Red is Riverside Walk. No arrows because the Norfolk Constabulary site isn't clear on which directions she was walking in.
View attachment 468988

Thanks for posting that, really helpful to see the route in that way. She did seem to take a very roundabout way to the park - so many unanswered questions, and of course the whole unknown four hours between last sighting and being reported missing.

 

[Noseyjosie]

Thanks for posting that, really helpful to see the route in that way. She did seem to take a very roundabout way to the park - so many unanswered questions, and of course the whole unknown four hours between last sighting and being reported missing.

 BBM

I used to spend a lot of time near Wensum Park when I was at high school in central Norwich, and I have to say the route Gaynor took isn't much different to the ones I would use - maybe mine were slightly more direct, but that was because I walked there regularly and "streamlined" it over time.
I noticed on the cctv that she looked up at a sign on the wall in St Augustine's Street, this sign is above an archway leading to Nichols Yard - which is what it says. I was curious as to why she'd take the time to do that, given we're assuming she had a purpose as it were

 

[benowens]

Do you reckon her official cause of death will ever be revealed? This case suddenly went from massive to completely quiet. My guess is that the family want privacy and the case has left the public eye because there was clearly no foul play.

 

[SMK777]

Do you reckon her official cause of death will ever be revealed? This case suddenly went from massive to completely quiet. My guess is that the family want privacy and the case has left the public eye because there was clearly no foul play.

I think you’re probably right, and the cause of death was suicide by drowning.

 

[benowens]

I think you’re probably right, and the cause of death was suicide by drowning.

That's what I was thinking.

 

[SMK777]

That's what I was thinking.

Yes, because if there had been any signs of foul play it would be very much in the news, with a search for the suspect.

 

[benowens]

Yes, because if there had been any signs of foul play it would be very much in the news, with a search for the suspect.

It was definitely either suicide or an accident due to a mental breakdown. Tragic but not sure why it was ever a notable story in the first place.

 

[SMK777]

It was definitely either suicide or an accident due to a mental breakdown. Tragic but not sure why it was ever a notable story in the first place.

Maybe because initially police and family thought it was either an abduction or robbery, or a medical issue— not something she’d purposely done?

 

[benowens]

Maybe because initially police and family thought it was either an abduction or robbery, or a medical issue— not something she’d purposely done?

It wouldn't make sense if it was a medical issue though, because there are hundreds of stories like that each year that don't even make local news.
The CCTV of Gaynor running away from her workplace reminds me of the if infamous Elisa Lam elevator video.

 

[SMK777]

It wouldn't make sense if it was a medical issue though, because there are hundreds of stories like that each year that don't even make local news.
The CCTV of Gaynor running away from her workplace reminds me of the if infamous Elisa Lam elevator video.

True…..

 

[Nikynoo]

Do you reckon her official cause of death will ever be revealed? This case suddenly went from massive to completely quiet. My guess is that the family want privacy and the case has left the public eye because there was clearly no foul play.

There should be an inquest though. Was one opened and adjourned pending a report from the police?

 

[Noseyjosie]

There should be an inquest though. Was one opened and adjourned pending a report from the police?

I haven't been able to find any mention of an inquest in the local media so far, but will keep looking. This report from Sky News does suggest foul play has been ruled out though, as we expected

Gaynor Lord: Post-mortem examination shows no 'third party involvement' after body recovered in search

It confirms what Norfolk Police said on Friday after a body was recovered from the River Wensum, a week after Ms Lord disappeared.

news.sky.com