Mackenzie Crook has previously detailed the ‘agonising’ search for his sister-in-law (Picture: PA / ITV)
A retired police officer believes the missing sister-in-law of The Office actor Mackenzie Crook may no longer be in the village where she disappeared.
Laurel Aldridge was reported missing on February 14 after going missing from her home in the village of Walberton, near Arundel in West Sussex, and was last seen at Slindon Cricket Club, which is around two-and-a-half miles away.
Mackenzie, who is also known for starring in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, has made televised pleas for his sister-in-law Aldridge, 62, to return safely and described the search as ‘agonising’.
Walberton Parish Council clerk Andy Peppler has now shared his thoughts on Aldridge’s whereabouts, and has urged the police to search another area.
Peppler, a retired police officer, told PA: ‘I’m confident that if Mrs Aldridge was still in the village she would have been found by now.
‘I think she’s more likely to be in the Slindon area, it’s quite vast and highly wooded.
Laurel Aldridge was last seen in the village of Walberton, near Arundel in West Sussex (Picture: PA)
Aldridge, 62, was last seen wearing a turquoise fleece, a maroon tartan scarf and brown hat. She also had a grey puffer jacket with her (Picture: PA)
‘The police haven’t asked for volunteers to join the search, but we’ve offered the services of the parish council to assist if we can.
‘The village remains concerned for Laurel’s welfare as one of our own, and residents are keeping an eye out for her and hoping she will be recovered safe and well.’
A spokeswoman for Slindon Parish Council added: ‘We are very aware of the ongoing distress to Laurel’s family at this time, the thoughts and prayers of this community are with them and everyone remains hopeful that Laurel will be found safe.’
Rev Peter Dyson, of St Mary’s Church in Slindon, said he has been praying for the family, adding that ‘people want to help but they want to be gentle’.
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Mackenzie, 51, famed for playing Gareth Keenan in the British mockumentary sitcom, appeared on Good Morning Britain earlier this week to plea for help.
He explained that Aldridge, who is the older sister of his wife, had left her home without a phone, keys or money, and was last sighted at Slindon cricket ground on February 14 – ‘since then, nothing’.
The actor said they were ‘hopeful’ Aldridge may have taken shelter in a garden, shed or outhouse, and asked people to check their gardens, even if they had done so already, in case she was ‘on the move’.
Aldridge had been diagnosed with cancer in 2022, and on the day she disappeared missed a chemotherapy session, which Crook believes ‘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’.
‘It’s agonising,’ he added.
Aldridge is described as being around 5ft 4in with grey/blonde highlighted hair and sometimes wears glasses. She was last seen wearing a turquoise fleece, a maroon tartan scarf and brown hat. She also had a grey puffer jacket with her which she is likely to have been wearing.
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MORE : Police reveal The Office actor Mackenzie Crook’s missing sister-in-law ‘may have crossed busy road’
A retired police officer has spoken out about Laurel Aldridge’s disappearance.
