Timeline of events since Claudia Lawrence went missing

Officers are searching gravel pits in Sand Hutton, about eight miles from Claudia's home in York.

Here is a timeline of the key events and the subsequent investigation into her disappearance:

2009 March 18 – Ms Lawrence speaks with her parents over the phone and, at 8.23pm, sends her friend a text. She has not been seen or heard from since.

March 20 – Ms Lawrence’s father, Peter, contacts North Yorkshire Police after his daughter fails to keep an arrangement to meet a friend at the Nags Head pub. She also fails to attend work.

March 23 – Mr Lawrence describes his daughter’s disappearance as a “living nightmare” during a news conference in York.

April 24 – Detectives say that Ms Lawrence’s disappearance is being treated as a suspected murder investigation. A £10,000 reward is offered for information that could lead to the conviction of those responsible.

2010 May 6 – Mr Lawrence calls for an urgent independent inquiry into the police investigation of his daughter’s disappearance and suspected murder.

Claudia's father Peter Lawrence

July 29 – Police confirm they are reducing the number of officers dedicated to the inquiry into Ms Lawrence’s disappearance.

2013 October 29 – A new forensic search of Ms Lawrence’s home is announced as police launch a fresh review of the case.

2014 March 19 – Five years on from Ms Lawrence’s disappearance, officers discover at her home the fingerprints of people who have still not come forward to the investigation.

May 13 – A 59-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of murder. He is released on police bail and eventually released without charge on November 17 2014.

2015 March 23 – A man in his 50s is arrested on suspicion of murdering Ms Lawrence and is released on police bail the following day.

April 22 – Three more men, all in their 50s and from the York area, are arrested on suspicion of murder and are released on bail.

September 17 – A file of evidence on four men arrested on suspicion of murder is sent by North Yorkshire Police to the Crown Prosecution service (CPS) so it can consider whether to bring charges.

2016 March 8 – Police say the CPS has decided the four men will not face charges.

Claudia pictured with father Peter before her disappearance

2017 January 17 – Mr Lawrence says he is “hugely depressed and disappointed” as the investigation into his daughter’s disappearance is scaled down.

2019 March – Nearly a decade on from her disappearance, Ms Lawrence has still not been found. Her father says in an interview with the PA news agency that “it’s very difficult” to conceive of her still being alive.

July – The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill, also known as Claudia’s Law, came into force. This followed years of campaigning by Mr Lawrence and allows relatives to take control of their missing loved ones’ financial matters.

2021 February 15 – The death of Peter Lawrence in announced.

March 18 – Speaking after taking over the police investigation, Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox said it is not too late for people to come forward and stop the “unrelenting anguish” caused to the chef’s loved ones.

August 24 – A new search operation is announced at the gravel pits at Sand Hutton, about eight miles from York.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated North Yorkshire Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054