Claudia Lawrence’s mother urges police to investigate killer cabbie Christopher Halliwell again

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Police searching for missing Claudia Lawrence began uncovering the floor of a fishing lake today and combing woodland as her mother urged detectives to look at double murderer Christopher Halliwell again.

North Yorkshire Police this morning began searching through the waters eight miles from her York home, using machinery to remove mould and rocks from beneath the surface.

Meanwhile officers on land conducted fingertip searches through leafy woodland as the hunt intensified. 

Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox said: ‘I thank the public for the positive responses and new information received in support of the current phase of the investigation.

‘Our focus is on finding Claudia and bringing those responsible for her disappearance and suspected murder to justice.’

It came as Claudia’s mother Joan Lawrence said she feared the double killer could be connected to the case.

Keen fisherman and cabbie Halliwell, 57, is behind bars for life for murdering Sian O’Callaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20, after snatching them from nightclubs.

But many connected to his case believe he has further victims, including Ms Godden’s mother who has previously said she knew of a witness who saw Halliwell talking to Claudia back in 2019 before she disappeared.

Stephen Fulcher – the detective superintendent who caught the killer – has also gone on record to say there were ‘clear indications’ he had other victims, although did not go as far as name them.

The date of the year Claudia disappeared is also the same date years later Halliwell abducted and killed Sian.

It is thought the day is significant because he was dumped on that same day by an ex over a decade ago.

Joan said today: ‘Something always bothered me about Halliwell and leaves me feeling very uneasy.

‘The police may not have proved he had anything to do with my daughter’s disappearance, but they haven’t disproved it either,’ she added to the Mirror.

Miss Lawrence was reported missing after she failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009.

The police’s sudden interest in the area at Sand Hutton to the east of York could only have been sparked by new information, a friend told MailOnline yesterday.

Specialist officers and staff, including underwater search teams, and forensic experts are expected to spend days at the site.

Peter Faulding of Specialist Group International, a diving forensic team not involved in this search, told MailOnline it appeared as if they were trying to displace silt and debris on the lake floor.

He said: ‘I think what they are doing is using a suction dredge that will remove gravel and leaf mould from the pit by sucking it to the surface where is passes through a mesh to enable the forensic teams to look for any evidence.

‘This suction dredge is controlled by a diver on the bottom in a specific grid pattern so nothing is missed.

‘They will also be conducting fine fingertip searches over the same area and using underwater metal detectors for items of jewelry and other evidence. 

‘I would imagine they are searching with some very good intelligence.’

Authors of a new book The New Millennium Serial Killer say he targeted petite women over a 20-year period.

Former police intelligence officer Chris said: ‘The pair were spotted by witnesses at the side of the road talking, perhaps arguing.

‘We believe Claudia then left with Halliwell in his vehicle.’

The sighting was also relayed to Joan by Ms Godden’s mother Karen Edwards.

Karen said in 2017: ‘This witness said he saw Halliwell talking to Claudia through a taxi window.

‘Claudia was asking if he had change so she could ring her dad from a call box.’

Former detective Mr Fulcher also believes the killer has more victims yet to be discovered.

He said earlier this year: ‘It’s a matter of justice that crimes attributable to Halliwell are thoroughly and vigorously pursued.

‘There are clear indications there are other victims.

‘For the next of kin of those victims, there are consequences of their daughter missing day after day, when there appears to be no effort to seek at least to resolve the matter

‘For the next of kin of victims they don’t cease to suffer as a consequence of missing their daughter.

‘The cost of the crimes that Halliwell committed is incalculable.

‘If you don’t investigate homicide then there’s really no reason to have a police force.’

North Yorkshire Police has previously dismissed any link, saying: ‘It can be confirmed on information provided by Wiltshire Police, that there are no known links between Halliwell and the Claudia Lawrence case.’

It did not respond to MailOnline this morning when asked again if there was any connection.

Yesterday Martin Dales, a friend of Miss Lawrence’s late father Peter, told MailOnline: ‘The police did everything they could at the time, searching the river, the waters at the university.

‘You don’t press the button on an operation like this unless there is a good reason for it.

‘There must have been some kind of new information about this area.

‘I can think of a lot of places as far away that have not been searched before.

‘I don’t know where the decision to search here has come from – nobody knew anything about it.’