Claudia Lawrence: Man Arrested On Murder Charge

13 May 2014, 11:42 | Updated: 13 May 2014, 13:47

A 59-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering missing university chef Claudia Lawrence.

North Yorkshire Police said Miss Lawrence, who went missing from her home in York in March 2009, has not been found.

A force spokesman said:

'Police cannot rule out the possibility of further arrests in the future as the review continues.

'The man was arrested in York today.'

The spokesman said:

'Forensic examinations and searches are being conducted which are expected to be ongoing over a number of days. A car has also been seized as part of the inquiries.

'Claudia's family have been notified and are being supported by trained officers.'

North Yorkshire Police launched a review of the investigation last year after a new major crime unit was established by the force. It has always said detectives believed the chef had been murdered.

Miss Lawrence, who worked at York University, was 35 when she was reported missing by her father Peter on March 20 2009.

She was last seen at around 3.05pm on March 18, walking back towards her home, and that night she spoke to both her parents on the phone.

It is thought something happened to her after she left for work early on March 19.

Last year, the new investigation team conducted a detailed re-examination of Miss Lawrence's home in the Heworth area of York.

And, in March, senior officers announced a series of new lines of inquiry on the fifth anniversary of the day she failed to turn up for work. The announcement coincided with a fresh appeal on BBC's Crimewatch.

They said the new forensic examination of her house uncovered the fingerprints of people who have not yet come forward.

They also found the DNA profile of an unknown man on a cigarette butt in the university chef's Vauxhall Corsa.

A team led by Detective Superintendant Dai Malyn spent two months re-examining Miss Lawrence's small terrace home.

Police have said before that Miss Lawrence's mobile and rucksack have never been found.

Her father has mounted a five-year campaign to find his daughter.

At the anniversary in March, he discussed the ``torture'' his family had suffered through five years of not knowing what has happened to her.