Missing woman's sisters 'continue to have hope'

The sisters of missing woman Victoria Taylor have said they "continue to have hope" she will be found as the search for her enters its third week.

Ms Taylor, 34, was last seen at her home in Malton on 30 September, with some of her possessions later recovered near the River Derwent.

North Yorkshire Police said underwater searches had since been carried out and search dogs from Northumbria had been deployed this week.

In a statement on Tuesday, Ms Taylor's sisters, Emma and Heidi, thanked the "amazing" local community and police for their help in the search for her.

They said: “We would like to thank the police teams as they are doing all they can, and we understand 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 two sisters said there were "no words" to describe how they were feeling, but that they had found comfort in the support being shown online.

"We continue to have hope, as it is all we have at this time," they added.

North Yorkshire Police said the force's focus remained on the area where Ms Taylor's possessions were found and where she was last seen.

CCTV footage showed her heading towards a riverside playground on 30 September, North Yorkshire Police said, with items belonging to her found at the location.

Ch Sup Fiona Willey, head of local policing, said: “To assist with our search capability, we are utilising police search dogs from Northumbria who are specialised in searching for people.

"The dogs and their handlers are highly trained and are deployed to scour areas that run alongside the River Derwent.

“In addition to this, we continue with expert-led searches by land and water involving multiple teams, including our force drone unit."

Anyone with information about Ms Taylor's whereabouts was asked to contact police.

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