Claudia Lawrence’s mom opens up about how the lacking chef’s childhood greatest good friend was murdered and says ‘they are going to be collectively now’

The mother of missing chef Claudia Lawrence has revealed her anguish after her daughter’s childhood best friend was murdered.

Ms Lawrence was 35 when she was reported missing after failing to turn up for work at York University on March 18, 2009.

Her disappearance was quickly treated as a murder inquiry by North Yorkshire Police and has since become one of the well-known unsolved crimes over the last two decades.

But in a tragic twist, Ms Lawrence’s best friend, Lisa Welford, was murdered by her abusive former partner in April.

Vincent Morgan, 47, forced Ms Welford’s head under the water in the River Derwent, causing her to suffer a cardiac arrest. The attack took place just minutes from Joan’s home in Malton, North Yorkshire.

Police have since revealed he had a ‘long history’ of domestic abuse and was handed three domestic violence prevention orders, which are used when there is not enough evidence to charge. 

Morgan, who was found guilty of murder on Monday, was on bail with the condition to stay away from Ms Welford when he murdered her.

Joan Lawrence described her daughter and Ms Welford as a pair of ‘angels’, telling the Mirror: ‘I was devastated. I felt numb with shock. How could two children that had grown up together have such terrible things happen to them.’ 

She added: ‘They were the best of friends from starting school. Lisa was like Claudia’s shadow. They went everywhere together. They were very close and got on so well. It was such a happy friendship.’ 

Ms Lawrence and Ms Welford started school together aged four and both went to St Andrews before attending York College for Girls. 

Joan said she broke down in tears when she found out that the ‘little girl who had been such a big part of our lives for so long’ had been killed.

Ms Lawrence’s mother says she is unable to walk past the section of the River Derwent where Ms Welford died.

Just months later, another missing woman, mother Victoria Taylor, was also found dead after drowning in the same river. 

She also opened up about how every time she hears a local woman has gone missing or a body has been found, she panics that it is her daughter. 

Ms Welford’s killer was found guilty of murder at Leeds Crown Court on Monday.

The trial heard how police were called to the River Derwent at about 11.40pm, where they found Ms Welford in the water and Morgan on the riverbank.

Ms Welford was taken to hospital after suffering head injuries, a brain bleed, fractured ribs, a fractured collar bone and a severely fractured femur.

She died the next morning.

Morgan was also found guilty of two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He will be sentenced on Wednesday.

Joan has been struck by the tragedy as she continues to search for answers about her daughter’s mystery disappearance.

Officers believe that the chef – who lived in the Heworth area of York – was murdered, although no body has ever been discovered.

North Yorkshire Police has conducted two investigations and questioned nine people but no charges have ever been brought.

The last major police operation in the relation to the case was in 2021 when officers spent a number of days conducting an extensive search of flooded gravel pits at Sand Hutton, near York.

Teams of police experts, search dogs, divers and forensic archaeologists spent two weeks scouring a lake and nearby woods for potential spots where her body could have been left but nothing was found.

That same year, Claudia’s father, Peter Lawrence, died aged 74. At the time of his illness, he was adamant investigators should continue looking for his daughter whatever happened to him.

Retired solicitor Mr Lawrence had tirelessly campaigned for information to try to find his daughter and had battled for legislation to help families in similar positions.

Mr Lawrence received an OBE for helping to shape the 2017 Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act.

The law, known informally as Claudia’s Law, created a new legal status of guardian of the affairs of a missing person, allowing someone to act in their best interests after they have been gone for 90 days or more.

The new legislation means families can oversee the financial and property affairs of their missing loved one, if the person has been missing for 90 days – lessening what can be a huge burden at a traumatic time.

Although police believe that Claudia is dead, Ms Lawrence still maintains hope that her daughter is still alive until she has evidence to suggest otherwise.