Police searching for missing mother-of-three Rachel Booth find body in lake
Police searching for missing mother-of-three Rachel Booth have recovered a body from a lake.
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Rachel Booth, 38, was last seen buying wine and milk at a petrol station over the weekend, with the search having entered its third day.
The mother was reported missing on Saturday July 19 after last being seen by her family in the village of Barnton in Cheshire.
Following extensive appeals and searches in the area, officers discovered a body in a lake in Oakmere on Monday.
Formal identification is yet to take place, however, police believe it to be that of Rachel.
"Her family have been made aware and are being supported by specialist officers and have requested privacy at this time," police confirmed.
There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a file will be prepared for the coroner.
CCTV recovered over the weekend showed her at Sandiway Garage in the Northwich area of Cheshire at 3.50am on July 19.
Issac Carolan, 19, who works at the garage, told The Sun: "I spoke to my colleague who had served her on Saturday morning. She bought milk and wine and jogged from 45 minutes away."
He added: "But it didn't seem weird, she didn't seem disturbed or flustered."
Chesire Police suspected she had travelled to the Oakmere area of Delamere, where officers, assisted by the Underwater Search Team, followed all possible lines of enquiry.
Reports also emerged claiming to have seen Rachel hitchhiking after her mother shared a video of one of the reports, The Sun wrote.
She said: "Possible sightings by two people in cars.
"[They] believe to have seen Rachel hitchhiking (attempting) wearing a yellow coat walking in Minshull towards Crewe."
They claimed a woman matching Rachel's description was seen between 12:30pm and 1:15pm on Sunday.
She was wearing a yellow jacket or cardigan instead of gym gear, which was earlier reported.
Superintendent Paul Hughes had said the force was "becoming increasingly concerned for her welfare".
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Superintendent Paul Hughes said earlier: “We are currently following a number of enquiries to trace Rachel and we are becoming increasingly concerned for her welfare.
“As part of our investigation, our officers and partner agencies, including the Underwater Search Team and Cheshire Search and Rescue, are conducting enquiries in the Oakmere and surrounding areas where it is believed Rachel travelled to, and we would like to thank local businesses for their patience and understanding while these are currently ongoing.
“Investigators are following all lines of enquiry and anyone who has seen Rachel since she was reported missing is asked to contact us. The same goes for anyone who has any information on her whereabouts.
“We would also like to appeal directly to Rachel to get in touch to let us know you are OK."
Wild Shore Delamere, which offers outdoor activities at its lake nearby, said it had closed "to help as much as possible".
In a post on social media, it said: "We are really sorry but there has been an incident in the area and the police have requested that we close the site to aid their investigation.
"The incident is unrelated to Wild Shore - however we wish to help as much as possible - so we will be closing the site until further notice.
"If your session is affected in any way by this closure, please contact our customer services team and we will refund your booking or move this to a later date.
"Once again, please accept our sincere apologies for any disruption caused."