Missing Claudia Lawrence’s father says it is ‘difficult’ to believe she is alive 10 years on from day the chef, 35, disappeared on her way to work
- Ms Lawrence went missing on her way to work at the University of York in 2009
- Police suspect she was murdered but no trace of her has ever been discovered
- Her father Peter Lawrence said not knowing what happened was the ‘worst part’
The father of missing chef Claudia Lawrence has said it is ‘difficult’ to believe she is still alive, almost 10 years to the day since she vanished.
Ms Lawrence went missing on her way to work at the University of York in March 2009 and no trace of her has ever been found.
Speaking at home in York her father Peter Lawrence said that not knowing what happened to Claudia was the ‘worst part about it’.
He said the decade since her disappearance could feel like both an ‘eternity’ and no time at all, the Mirror reported.
Peter Lawrence (right), the father of missing chef Claudia Lawrence (father) has said it is ‘difficult’ to believe she is still alive, almost 10 years to the day since she vanished
Losing hope that his daughter is still alive, the 72-year-old said: ‘It’s getting more difficult to believe that as time goes on. It’s very difficult now.
‘It just keeps going on and on, of course, because of not knowing what happened and it is the not knowing which has always been the worst part about it.
‘Sometimes it seems an eternity and other times it just seems as though it wasn’t very long ago at all.’
Ms Lawrence went missing on March 18, 2009, when she was reported missing after failing to turn up for her 6am shift at York University.
Police have said they believe the 35-year-old was murdered, although no body has ever been discovered.
Police search a pub in York in 2009 after the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence.
Arrests were made after a review of the initial investigation but no charges have ever been brought.
Last year Mr Lawrence received an OBE at Buckingham Palace for services to the families of missing persons.
He said last year: ‘She was relatively young. She was 35 when she went missing. So she would now be a completely different person anyway, so we’ve missed all that time.’
‘Whatever that closure is, you always hope for closure. Good or bad. You need closure.’
The retired solicitor campaigned for the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill, also known as Claudia’s Law, which was passed in April 2017.
The law, which applies to England and Wales, allows families of people missing for more than 90 days to deal with their affairs.