Mother-of-three died in river by misadventure

A mother-of-three who went missing and was found dead in a city river died by misadventure, an inquest has concluded.

Gaynor Lord, 55, was recovered from the River Wensum in Norwich, a week after she was reported missing on 8 December 2023, after failing to return home from work.

An inquest held at Norfolk Coroner's Court heard she died by immersion and drowning.

Coroner Jacqueline Lake said she believed Mrs Lord intended to enter the water but did not intend to take her own life.

The mother-of-three worked as a retail assistant on a gin counter at Norwich department store Jarrolds and on the day she went missing, CCTV footage showed her leaving for work an hour earlier than expected.

A large search operation began on 8 December when her belongings, including clothing, jewellery and a mobile phone, was found scattered across Wensum Park to the north of the city centre.

Specialist divers and teams from across England assisted with the search and her body was found on 15 December.