Search continues in drains and ditches for missing woman

THE search for missing Irish woman Rachel Moran continued yesterday in the extensive drains and ditches around Hull city in north east England.

The family of the 21-year-old was clinging to hope following the discovery of some of her belongings in a drain. Police said Rachel’s parents Ray, who is from Dublin, and his English wife Wanda, were emotionally and physically exhausted since their daughter went missing on New Year’s Day. In separate finds over the weekend, police recovered Rachel’s passport and handbag, which included her diary and her Nokia mobile phone.

A trainer which matches the description of the shoes Rachel was wearing when she went missing was also found nearby.

A spokesman for Humberside Police said they could not yet confirm whether the trainer was actually Rachel’s. Teams were called in from across the county to help widen the search after the white and blue size seven Nike trainer was found in a drain. Forensic tests are being carried out on the items recovered, but the work has been made difficult because they were found in drains.

Det Supt Paul Davison, who is leading the investigation, said: “The family is clinging to the hope that there’s an explanation. They are hoping Rachel wanted to leave the area and chose to get rid of some of her belongings. These are sad finds.” A specialist underwater unit is carrying out the difficult work in the drains and ditches near the Orchard Park estate in Hull, where Rachel, a dancer, lived with her boyfriend Mark.

A police spokesman said: Police released an image of Rachel captured on CCTV outside a local pub that morning. “We’re at the stage of the heavy grind now, evaluating what witnesses have come forward, continuing the search of the drains where we found the property.

“We’re dealing with deep ditches; we’ve had a lot of rain, there’s flooding here, so the ditches are full at the moment.” Rachel, who was born in Dublin and moved to Hull, was last seen walking home from her parents’ house in the Hall Road area in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

“She had a night out in a local pub; gone home to see her mother, which is en route. Her mother waved her off from the front door, and that’s the last time she was seen,” said a police spokesman. He said no one had been arrested yet in relation to the case.