Victoria Taylor: Body of missing mum found in river almost a month after disappearance

The body of missing mum has tragically been located in the River Derwent, according to police.

Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox issued the tragic update after the 34-year-old disappeared with her personal belongings close to the River Derwent in Malton on September 30. Speaking at Fulford Police Station in York, he said: "Today we've recovered a body in the search for missing 34-year-old Victoria Taylor. The police underwater search team made the discovery at approximately 11.45 am this morning."

He added that the discovery was made "close to where Ms Taylor's belongings were recovered". Formal identification has not yet taken place, however, Victoria's family have been informed of the development and "understandably, they are distressed by today's news," the police chief said.

He went on to say: "While today's outcome is not what anyone wished for, Victoria's family have asked me to express thanks to those who supported North Yorkshire Police and the emergency services." He also thanked members of the public who made contact with North Yorkshire Police in response to their appeals for information.

earlier addressed the "significant possibility" that she could have entered the river after a baseball cap and rucksack belonging to the mum were found. had launched a frantic hunt in a bid to find the mum and joined forces with divers and volunteers. Officers earlier said she left her home at 9am and was spotted on at 11.35am at the BP garage on Welham Road in the Norton area of Malton. She was later recorded at 11.53am at Malton bus station on Railway Street.

Additional showed Ms Taylor walking towards the play park on Riverside Walk at 12.30pm. The case has drawn huge attention from members of the public, with nearly 11,000 people joining a group to follow updates. Unfortunately, among the well-wishes are cruel trolls on social media. Ms Taylor's friend, Emma, pleaded with the public to be "mindful" of what they post as they tried to focus on finding the 34-year-old.

As she addressed day 20 of the search, she said: "It doesn't feel like 20 days, they have gone by in a blur, we cannot describe the feelings as we can't process them ourselves. Trying to have some normality for the little ones in our family. Please be mindful of what you post, speculation does not help. The information is and comes from the police."

She added: "We have ( zero) tolerance and any unhelpful/comments will see it removed. The is going to be awful throughout today, please take care when out searching. Warm clothes, flask and waterproofs if possible! The police have and will be out over the weekend. As a family, we continue to hold on to hope. For all new members, the feature page contains pictures with info and the updates."

Victoria's sisters Emma and Heidi had shared a touching message as they thanked police and members of the public for their efforts, and revealed Halloween is one of Victoria's favourite seasons. The statement, released on the two-week anniversary since Victoria was reported missing, read: “There are no words for us to describe how we are feeling as it's ever-changing.

"We have to have some sort of normality for the children. As we know, Vixx is a mum but also an auntie and Halloween is one of her favourite seasons as she is the costume queen!

“We would like to thank the police teams as they are doing all they can, and we understand that these things take time. The local community is amazing, from putting up posters to the daily walks to search for Vixx. We would like to thank the special people, you know who you are.

“The wider community on the Facebook page with over 10,000 people sharing Vixx’s information and sending support has given us comfort. We continue to have hope, as it is all we have at this time.”

This is a breaking news story. Follow us on , , , , or visit homepage.