Gaynor Lord inquest: Missing mum 'wanted to be like Nicola Bulley' before dying in river

Gaynor Lord, 55, sparked a huge search after CCTV showed her running through Norwich in December last year, but her body was tragically found seven days later in a river

Missing mum Gaynor Lord told pals she wanted to "disappear like Nicola Bulley" before she was found dead in a river, an inquest heard today.

Shop worker Gaynor Lord, 55, who had epilepsy and had previously had psychotic episodes, was also said to have chatted about wild swimming after seeing a programme about wild swimming in in the days before her death. Norfolk Coroner’s Court heard how she disappeared from her job on a gin counter at Jarrold’s department store in Norwich on December 8 last year after sending a message to a friend who had died, saying: “Help”.

Her bag and items of her clothing were found that evening in Wensum Park, Norwich, and her naked body was recovered a week later on December 15 by police divers in the nearby River Wensum. Norfolk senior coroner Jacqueline Lake today recorded a conclusion that Mrs Lord had died of misadventure, after ruling that there was no evidence to suggest that she had meant to take her own life.

The inquest heard how a friend of Mrs Lord had told police after she “seemed on edge” five days before she disappeared when she saw her giving short shrift to a woman trying to sell her homeopathy oils at a market stall. The friend June Rudram saw Mrs Lord again on December 6, and recalled her “reminiscing about her family and past”, and seeming to have “verbal diarrhoea as she would not stop talking.” Ms Rudram added: “She made a comment about disappearing like Nicola and people would come looking for her.”

Norfolk Police believe it may have been a chilling reference to Nicola Bulley who disappeared while walking her dog in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27 of last year. Her body was eventually found in the river three weeks later.

Ms Bulley’s disappearance prompted a major search which caused huge public interest and led to a social media frenzy of conspiracy theories before her body was found more than weeks later on February 19.

Mrs Lord’s husband of 25 years Clive said she had a history of epilepsy and suffered from regular short seizures, and less frequent serious seizures, but kept fit with gym visits and YouTube workouts at home. Mr Lord said his wife had one “acute psychotic episode” in 2011 when he returned home to find their front door open. He later got a call from police saying they had found Mrs Lord in a pub, saying she was waiting for aliens to take her away.

He said that doctors considered detaining her, but allowed her to leave hospital because he could look after her. Explaining the episode in his statement, he said: “We think she screwed up her tablets and had a reaction”. He added that she had been taking HRT after the start of her menopause last year had left her suffering night sweats and mild mood swings."

Mr Lord said that his wife, who was on long term medication, for her epilepsy had her first serious seizure in around four months in the middle of the night at 3am four days before her disappearance. Mr Lord said the seizure lasted for about 90 seconds and was followed by 90 seconds of deep breathing before she went back into a deep sleep, and woke up later with no memory of what had happened, but had a headache and was disorientated.

He said that she had got up as normal on December 8, and they had discussed organising a Secret Santa gift-swap for Christmas and discussed organising a holiday to Japan, including a cruise. Mr Lord described his wife as being “absolutely fine” before she headed off from their home in Norwich to her part time job on The Bullards gin company counter at the Jarrold’s department store in Norwich.

He said that he repeatedly texted and called her after she failed to return home in the evening, on what was the first anniversary of the death of their dog Willis who had to be put down at the age of 14.

Mr Lord added: “Gaynor had recently watched a television show about swimming in ice cold water. She had never done it herself, but I think in her confused state she may have been thinking about it. I don't know this for sure - it's just me thinking about why she would enter the water. She would regularly have a cold shower in the morning.”

He continued: “There's no reason for her to be at Wensum Park. It's not a park we've ever been to before. The only reason I can think she went there is so we couldn't find her." Det Sgt Mike Cox, of Norfolk Police, said in a statement that Mrs Lord had arrived for shift at work on the morning of December 8 and CCTV images had showed her initially “interacting with customers”.

Just before 2.30pm, she was seen to use her mobile phone and sent a message to “a contact who had died some time ago”, saying, “Help”. She also made two calls to friends who didn’t reply.

In a further Facebook message to another deceased friend, she again asked for help, saying that she was "going crazy" and "can feel my fear". She later left her counter and left the store through the loading bay before wandering around the streets of Norwich.

A police investigation fond CCTV images tracking through the city as she stopped at an art centre and outside the Norwich Playhouse theatre. The last confirmed sighting of her was when she was seen on CCTV at 4.06pm walking towards Wensum Park. Analysis of her phone showed she has been looking at Instagram pictures of her family and her dog while in the park between 4.10pm and 4.30pm on December 8.

A warden at the park told police that he had seen a woman of Mrs Lord’s description trying to get into his works’ van in the park. A walker found items of women’s clothing including a bra and handbag, containing items with her name, close to the river’s edge at 7.50pm and reported it to police after he returned home. Her diamond ring and mobile phone, which had not been accessed since 4.33pm on December 8, were later found.

Det Insp Cox said police had launched a major search for Mrs Lord involving dive teams with specialist sonar equipment Her unclothed body was recovered from the bottom of the river by a Lincolnshire dive team on December 15. A post mortem by a Home Office pathologist Dr Benjamin Swift found that she had died of drowning and immersion in water.

There were no signs that she had been assaulted, and small areas of bruising on her body were attributable to her body “encountering objects while submerged”. Another friend Jean Herschel described Mrs Lord in statement as “bubbly, fit, but a bit needy and lonely”, and recalled her as seeming “agitated” in the days before her death. She added: “She seemed hyper-active and was speaking very fast, jumping around subjects, and talking about how AI would interfere with her security. She mentioned she was on HRT and had cold sweats."

Ms Herschel went on: “Cold water swimming was brough up in conversation. Gaynor said she had been cold water swimming before and would have to do it again.” Norfolk's senior coroner Jacqueline Lake told the hearing that Mrs Lord had ”a stable live”, was “social and healthy” and enjoyed her part time job. She added: "I have heard evidence she had recently watched a programme about cold water swimming and that was something she talked about in the recent past both with her husband and a friend."

Ms Lake, recording a conclusion of death by misadventure, said that she was satisfied Mrs Lord “intended to enter the water but I do find she didn't intend to die by her actions”. The coroner said that Ms Lord's mental health was “noted as stable” in January 2023, but added: "However there was some evidence in the more recent past that she was acting out of character."

Mrs Lake said that Mrs Lord had sent a "string of messages”, making it appear that “she didn't know what she was doing". Addressing family members who attended the inquest, including Mrs Lord’s two daughters and her sister, the coroner said: "I would like to offer you my sympathy at the loss of your mother, sister and daughter, and pass on my sympathy to your father please."