A body believed to be that of Victoria Taylor has been found in the search for the 34-year-old woman who went missing from her North Yorkshire home three weeks ago.
Police searching for the missing woman, known as Vixx, has said there was a “significant possibility” she had entered the River Derwent, which runs through the town of Malton, where she lived.
Taylor’s family were informed on Tuesday that the body of a woman was found in the river close to where she disappeared on 30 September.
CCTV footage of her walking towards a play park near the water’s edge was released as part of an extensive police operation to search for the missing woman, which involved the use of divers and specialist sonar equipment.
On Tuesday, Wayne Fox, an assistant chief constable with North Yorkshire police, said a body had been recovered at 11.45am by underwater search teams, close to the area where Taylor’s possessions were found.
Speaking at a press conference at Fulford police station in York, Fox said formal identification had not yet taken place but Taylor’s family had been informed and were “understandably distressed”. He added: “The disappearance of Victoria has understandably had a wider impact on the communities of Malton and Norton.
“Those closest to Victoria have felt an enormous amount of heartache in the days after she went missing and have acknowledged how grateful they are for the overwhelming support from the community.
“Whilst today’s outcome is not what anyone would have wished for, Victoria’s family have asked us to say that they are devastated and would like some space to be able to process the news, and our thoughts remain with them at this time.”
Officers previously said Taylor left her home at 9am on Monday 30 September, and was seen on CCTV at 11.35am at the BP garage on Welham Road in the Norton area of Malton, where she bought several items.
A further sighting was captured at 11.53am at Malton bus station on Railway Street. Further CCTV footage showed Taylor walking towards the play park on Riverside Walk at 12.30pm.
In a statement released last Tuesday to mark two weeks since Taylor was reported missing, her sisters Emma and Heidi said: “There are no words for us to describe how we are feeling as it’s ever-changing.
“We have to have some sort of normality for the children. As we know, Vixx is a mum but also an auntie and Halloween is one of her favourite seasons as she is the costume queen.”
In a statement released via North Yorkshire police, the sisters said: “The local community is amazing, from putting up posters to the daily walks to search for Vixx. We would like to thank the special people, you know who you are.
“The wider community on the Facebook page with over 10,000 people sharing Vixx’s information and sending support has given us comfort.”
