The father of missing chef Claudia Lawrence has died without the mystery being solved.
Peter Lawrence OBE died last Thursday (February 11) aged 74 in St Leonard’s Hospice, York following a short illness.
Friend Martin Dales said: “He will be sorely missed by his family and friends who request privacy at this sad time and there will be no further comments from the family.
“It is sad that nearly 12 years after Claudia’s disappearance from York Peter never found out what has happened to her.
“He was a very private person thrust into the full glare of the media and despite a tireless campaign to find her, he also selflessly devoted himself to helping others with missing relatives through the charity Missing People.”
Claudia was a chef at the University of York who disappeared on 18 March 2009.
Although the police have treated her disappearance as a case of murder, with various people arrested but later released, her fate is unclear.
Claudia was 35 when she vanished.
She had spoken to her mother Joan the evening before, she had been caught on CCTV passing a shop close to her terraced home in the York suburb of Heworth.
Peter’s friend Martin added: “He also utilised his legal background to persuade Parliament to bring in firstly changes to the Presumption of Death Act and then the creation of the new Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act, known as Claudia’s Law, to assist people in dealing with the financial & business affairs of a missing person and for this work he received the OBE in 2018.
“Despite Peter’s death, the message remains the same - where is Claudia? Anyone with information should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101.”
