Actor Mackenzie Crook has launched an appeal to find his missing sister-in-law, who has not been seen for a week.
Best known for starring in The Office, Crook said his family are “clutching at straws” but remain “determined and driven” to find 62-year-old Laurel Aldridge, who went missing from her home in Walberton, West Sussex.
Today (February 21), he has launched a public appeal to continue the hunt for Laurel, saying: “We have been combing the woodlands for a week now, we can only think she has hopefully taken shelter in a back garden, in a shed, in an outhouse, that’s what we’re hoping.
“We are asking people to check all of those places in their garden, even if they’ve done it before, to go back and check again.
“Now we are also asking people to check dashcam footage because there are specific roads the police think she may have crossed in that time.”
Who is Mackenzie Crook?
The 51-year-old British actor is well known for starring in a number of top TV shows and Hollywood films. He is most famous for his role as Gareth Keenan, in the original, British version of The Office.
He also starred in the remake of Worzel Gummidge, the HBO series Game of Thrones, and played Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
He is also known as a comedian, director, and writer.
Where is he from?
He was born and brought up in Kent and is the son of Michael Crook, a British Airways employee, and Sheila Crook, a hospital manager. He attended Wilmington Grammar School.
Where does he live now?
Mr Crook now lives in London with his wife Lindsay, who worked in marketing, and their children, a son and a daughter.
How does he know the missing woman?
Laurel Aldridge, 62, has been missing from her home in Walberton, in the Arundel area of West Sussex, since Tuesday, February 14. She is the older sister of Mr Crook’s wife, Lindsay. The family say they are beside themselves with worry and have been combing the West Sussex woodland in the surrounding areas to look for her.
What is the latest with the case?
Mr Crook appeared on Good Morning Britain today, while down in Slindon, West Sussex, to make an appeal for any information from locals. He told them how his sister-in-law had left the house with no keys, money, or coat, and has not been seen since.
Do the family think there is any reason for Laurel going missing?
Speaking on TV, Mr Crook said that Laurel had been diagnosed with cancer last year and last week had missed her fifth chemo session.
He said: “We think that’s what has triggered some sort of crisis in her and she’s gone off for a long walk somewhere… we are really clutching at straws now after a week.”
What have the police said?
Sussex Police is the force leading the search, and has said Laurel’s last known location was crossing busy roads like the A27 and the A29. Anyone with information is asked to call 101.
