The family of actor Mackenzie Crook‘s missing sister-in-law have paid tribute to her after a body was found.
Though police are yet to formally confirm the identity of the victim, Laurel Aldridge’s son has shared how his mother “was found lying in a beautiful woodland”.
“She is now at peace,” Matthew Aldridge said of his 62-year-old mother, who was reported missing from her home in Walberton, in the Arundel area of West Sussex, on 14 February.
He also thanked the police and local community for their help and support in finding Ms Aldridge.
”After a long and exhausting search, today we found Laurel,” Mr Aldridge wrote on Facebook.
“We will miss her every day, but we are so proud of everything she achieved in her 62 years on this earth.
“Laurel was a wonderful, creative, fiercely-intelligent person, who taught us all the meaning of empathy, dependability, and love.
“We as a family are broken by what has happened, but we have each other, we have our friends, and we have the support of the local community, who have so kindly rallied around us during this difficult time. We will never forget what you have done for us.
“For the time being, we are asking for privacy so that we can be together as a family and process our loss.”
Both Mr Alrdidge and Mr Crook had made public appeals to help find Ms Aldridge.
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, Mr 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.”
Confirming the news that a body had been found on Saturday, Sussex Police said it was still working to confirm the identity.
In a statement, the force 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.”
