The search for a missing 55-year-old woman from Norwich has entered the fifth day.

Gaynor Lord was last seen at 2.45pm on Friday when she left work at Jarrolds department store in the city centre, more than an hour earlier than she was due to finish.

Police launched an appeal to find the mother-of-three at about 8pm on Friday, after a member of the public found some of her possessions more than a mile away, in Wensum Park. 

The park has remained closed since Saturday while specialist teams carry out searches of the river. 

On Tuesday a coat belonging to Gaynor was found in the river in Wensum Park. 

Police say her disappearance is "completely out of character" and believe that filling in those 'missing' five hours could help them work out what happened to the 55-year-old.

In a series of developments, it has also emerged that:

  • Gaynor’s clothing, two rings, her mobile phone and glasses have been discovered at various locations around the park;
  • Her coat was found in the water and police believe she may have entered the river;
  • A witness reported seeing someone who could have been Gaynor at 4pm in the park. The witness said the woman removed her coat and performed a yoga pose;
  • Specialist divers with sonar equipment are expected to join the search on Wednesday.

Superintendent Wes Hornigold, from Norfolk police, said officers were seeking to discover what happened in the key five hours between Gaynor leaving work and the discovery that she failed to return home.

He said: “We are doing everything we can to understand the period from the last sighting until we had the call about the discovery of her clothing.

“A lot of work is being done to understand what happened in that period and the circumstances that led up to her disappearance.” 

CCTV shows her leaving her job as a retail assistant for Bullards Gin, which has a concession stand at Jarrolds, via Bedford Street at 2.45pm. She had been due to finish at 4pm.

She was then seen walking on London Street heading towards Norwich Cathedral.

Superintendent Hornigold said: “CCTV searches are being undertaken in and around the city centre and we would appeal to the public who may have seen anyone matching Gaynor’s description.”

He said there was “currently nothing to suggest this is anything more than a missing person inquiry” but police are speaking to family and friends and analysing her mobile phone to assess her state of mind.

“There is lots of work under way to try to understand the reasons for her leaving work early,” he said.

“This wasn’t her normal route and coupled with the fact she left work early means there is obviously lots of work for us to do.

"The more information we can get can help us to piece that together.

“There’s no evidence that Gaynor has come to harm and while we have a number of enquiries ongoing, given where her clothing was found and other items, there is a real possibility she has entered the water."