Five riddles in hunt for missing mum Victoria Taylor from mysterious last sighting to ‘active’ social media account

MYSTERY surrounds the hunt for missing mum Victoria Taylor, six days after her disappearance.

The mum-of-one, 34, vanished on Monday morning from her home in Malton, North Yorkshire – with a major search launched involving police and locals.

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Some of her possessions were found on the bank of the River Derwent, with boats, divers and drones deployed to the area.

Her sisters Heidi and Emma released a statement saying they “feel sick and lost”, after fiancé Matthew Williams issued a plea to Victoria through the Sun.

But there are plenty of unanswered questions surrounding the search, leading to much speculation on social media and beyond.

Here we look at the five most pressing.

WHERE WAS SHE GOING?

Care worker Victoria left an unspecified address in Malton around 9am on Monday (September 30).

She was then seen by multiple people on Commercial Street heading towards a library, including by a friend, who said she said “hiya” to Victoria, who smiled at her.

She was then captured on CCTV at a BP garage on Welham Road at 11.35pm, around half a mile from Norton Hive Library & Community Hub.

Her movements between those periods and where exactly she was going, are unclear.

There are unverified reports that she was seen crossing the railway crossing near a Lidl store, also in Welham Road, around 11.30am to midday, heading towards the river.

WHY WAS HER SOCIAL MEDIA STILL ACTIVE?

A local claimed Victoria’s Instagram account had been active on Tuesday – the day after she disappeared.

Posting in Facebook group The search for Victoria Taylor, they said the account could be showing as “active” because Victoria’s family were using it.

Other members of the group, which includes friends and family, said they had attempted to message the missing mum numerous times, though their efforts were not being delivered.

Eventually, her phone was going straight to voicemail, they said.

WHY SHE WAS AT THE GARAGE?

The BP garage includes an adjoining M&S food store, where it’s rumoured Victoria was buying a drink.

However, this has not been clarified by police.

The CCTV grab shows her wearing a camouflage green cap, a dark blue Adidas puffa coat and jeans.

Her face is partially obscured.

IS SHE STILL IN THE AREA?

Police will be remaining open-minded about the search, but it is not yet clear if Victoria is still in the immediate area she went missing.

With only one piece of CCTV so far released, her movements are difficult to pin down.

Victoria is originally from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, where much of her family is understood to still live.

Volunteer searchers have been putting up posters within Malton but also across the county and further afield.

While her possessions were found on the river bank by cops, there is has been no evidence confirmed to suggest she went into the river itself.

WHY WERE HER BELONGINGS DISCARDED?

On releasing the CCTV capture of Victoria at the garage, police said her possessions had been found at the river bank – though they have not yet said what they were.

The MailOnline reported earlier this week, the missing mum’s sister Heidi had said soft drinks bottles were found by the family in a clearing along an overgrown path next to the river.

The Mail also claimed the green cap she was seen wearing in the CCTV was found discarded further along the path, as had a salmon pink Vans backpack.

It was claimed the items were found in the open and not hidden.

None of this has been confirmed by police.

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