A body has been found in the search for Laurel Aldridge, the missing sister-in-law of actor Mackenzie Crook.
In a statement, Sussex Police said: “Sadly, the body of a woman has been found in the Tortington Lane area of Arundel. At this stage, the family of missing Laurel Aldridge have been informed and we are seeking to confirm the identity of the woman.”
Crook had made a series of public appeals to find his wife’s 62-year-old elder sister, who was reported missing from her home in Walberton, in the Arundel area of West Sussex, on 14 February.
The British actor, who is known for roles in The Office, Pirates Of The Caribbean and Worzel Gummidge, said his sister-in-law’s disappearance had been “agonising” for the family.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain about the search earlier this month, Mr Crook said they believe her disappearance could be linked to her ongoing chemotherapy treatment.
“She was diagnosed with cancer last year and she missed her fifth chemo session last Tuesday and we think that’s what has triggered some sort of crisis in her and she’s gone off for a long walk somewhere … we are really clutching at straws now after a week,” he said.
That same day, her son Matthew Aldridge made a desperate appeal for people living nearby to check sheds, outbuildings and doorbell footage.
“It is terrible, it’s like a nightmare, in a way we’re waiting to wake up from it but we’ve got each other and we’ve received a lot of love and support from the wider community and that’s really helping us get through,” Mr Aldridge told the BBC.
“We’re continuing to look in the local woodlands and fields. She loved nature so we think that’s perhaps where she’s gone.”
Sussex Police conducted house-to-house enquiries and officers with dogs were sent to search parts of West Sussex.
They were joined by the NPAS helicopter, drones and the volunteer specialist Sussex search teams.
