Never give up hope, says father of missing Claudia

THE father of Claudia Lawrence urged hundreds of families whose loved ones had vanished never to give up hope as he marked the third anniversary since his own daughter disappeared.

By The Newsroom

Published 19th Mar 2012, 09:50 BST

Peter Lawrence, 65, from York, spoke at the 10km run to raise funds for the Missing People charity in Regent’s Park in London on Saturday, which saw one his daughter’s close friends, Jen King, take part. Kate and Gerry McCann, whose daughter Madeleine vanished on a family holiday in Portugal in 2007, were also among 1,000 runners in the Miles for Missing People event.

Mr Lawrence’s spokesman, Martin Dales, said: “Peter urged everyone not to give up hope, and also thanked the Missing People charity for all the help he has received. The atmosphere was terrific.”

Miss Lawrence was aged 35 when she was last seen walking near her home in York on March 18, 2009. The missing person inquiry was upgraded to a murder investigation the month after she vanished, but detectives have failed to find any trace of her.