Claudia’s Law - officially called the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017 - has come into force today. It is named after Claudia Lawrence, and is designed to help the loved ones of missing people to deal with the administrative side of their loved one's disappearance.

Who is Claudia Lawrence?

Claudia Lawrence was 35 when she was reported missing after not turning up for work as a cook at York University in 2009. Six weeks after she went missing, the police classified her disappearance as a suspected murder investigation, although no proof that she died has ever been found.

Ten years on, the police are still not sure what happened to her, but believe that the public are holding back information which could provide an answer.

There are several theories about what happened. Some think she might have let someone into her home the night before colleagues realised she was missing, given CCTV footage of a man walking along the alley behind her house. Others believe she may have been abducted on her way to work, as what appeared to be breakfast dishes were found in the kitchen of her house.