POLICE have revealed that 25 people from North Yorkshire have been missing for more than a year – as the family of York chef Claudia Lawrence marked the third anniversary of her disappearance.

New posters are to be put up around the city making a fresh plea for information about what has happened to Claudia, from Heworth, who was last seen on March 18, 2009. The case – while being treated as murder – remains a mystery.

Claudia’s friend, Jen King, was today running the Miles For Missing People 10k in Regents Park, London, in a T-shirt bearing a picture of the University of York chef’s face. Claudia’s father, Peter Lawrence, Claudia’s father, was also attending the event.

Mr Lawrence yesterday was joined by another of his daughter’s friends, Suzy Cooper, and the York Outer MP Julian Sturdy, to renew calls for help to unearth the “missing piece in the puzzle”.

Speaking at his home in Heworth, Mr Lawrence said: “Here we are, three years on, and we are no closer to finding out what has happened to Claudia. I never thought I would be here a year after she disappeared, let alone three. It never gets any easier, and the anniversary will be hard – as it always is. People’s circumstances change and someone who has previously had a misguided sense of loyalty may see fit to come forward.”

Ms Cooper said: “Many people are affected by Claudia’s disappearance and I would like to reach out to whoever did this. If there is the conscience anywhere please find it, because people have been very, very hurt by this. All we want to do is to find Claudia.”

Police have confirmed 25 people from the region are currently classed as “long-term missing” – with one case stretching back to 1970. Long-term missing people are those not found within days. Nine have been missing for up to a decade and eight have not been seen for between 11 and 20 years. Eight more have been missing for longer. Serious crime investigations surround three cases, including that of Claudia, with the rest involving a person disappearing for “various reasons and circumstances”. The long-term missing list includes 11 cases where police say there are “strong indications” a person was lost at sea.

Claudia is one of four people from North Yorkshire who disappeared while aged between 31 and 40 – she was 35 when she went missing, and her 38th birthday fell on February 26.

After giving a speech and handing out prizes at today’s run, organised by the Missing People charity, Mr Lawrence will light a candle at York Minster tomorrow.

Another of North Yorkshire’s missing people is Lisette Dugmore, of Clifton, York, who has not been seen since being caught on CCTV in the city centre on July 6, 2008, when she was 36. Since then, a Facebook campaign has been set up urging people not to forget about her. Detective Inspector Adrian Gathercole, of North Yorkshire Police, said “extensive searches” had been conducted since Lisette disappeared but had failed to find her, and the investigation remained open.

‘We will never give up in our Claudia search’

THE detective who has dedicated the last three years to the search for Claudia Lawrence says he will “never give up” – and has called on the person he believes holds the key to the case to “do the right thing”.

Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway said the third anniversary of her disappearance was “a very poignant and emotional occasion” for everybody connected to the inquiry he has led since March 2009.

“For Claudia’s family and friends, it is another traumatic milestone when the full sense of their loss and helplessness comes to the fore in a very public way, and I would again like to stress my sincere admiration for their dignified courage and strength.

“They know we will never give up on the search for Claudia and those responsible for her tragic disappearance. Information continues to come in and is being analysed, but we are still seeking that crucial breakthrough which will unravel this most complex of investigations.”

Det Supt Galloway said it was “still not too late” to come forward with information. “If you feel reluctant to assist the police for whatever reason, I ask that you think of the devastation and heartache Claudia’s family have endured every day for three long years.

“Somebody out there knows what happened to Claudia. It is now time to do the right thing and help bring a measure of closure for her loved ones.”