A body has been found in a river weeks after missing mother Victoria Taylor vanished from her home, North Yorkshire Police said.
Ms Taylor, 34, disappeared from her home in Malton, North Yorkshire, on 30 September after leaving the house at around 9.30am.
The last CCTV footage recorded of Ms Taylor shows her walking towards a play park close to the River Derwent at 12.30pm that day.
She was reported missing on 1 October and several of her possessions were later found close to the nearby river, with police scouring the area with dogs and sonar technology.
Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox of North Yorkshire Police said a body had been recovered at 11.45am by underwater search teams, close to the area where Ms Taylor’s possessions were found.
Speaking at a press conference at Fulford Police Station in York, Mr Fox said formal identification had not yet taken place but Ms Taylor’s family had been informed and were “understandably distressed”.
“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,” Mr Fox added.
“While today’s outcome is not what anyone would have wished for, Victoria’s family have asked me to say that they are devastated.”
Ms Taylor’s disappearance sparked concern among the community, with local people meeting every day to search the banks of the river.
Many businesses in the Yorkshire town displayed posters appealing for information about Ms Taylor’s disappearance.
Last week, Ms Taylor’s 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.
“We would like to thank the police teams as they are doing all they can, and we understand that these things take time.”
