Search for missing mother-of-three Rachel Booth enters its third day after 38-year-old was last seen 'after jogging from 45 minutes away to buy wine and milk'

 

The search for a mother-of-three who was last seen buying wine and milk at a petrol station over the weekend has entered its third day.

Rachel Booth, 38, was reported missing on Saturday, July 19, after being last seen by her family in the village of Barnton near Northwich, Cheshire, sparking a major search operation.

Cheshire Constabulary yesterday released CCTV of her last sighting which shows her walking around the Sandiway Garage, along the A556 west of Northwich, in exercise gear at 3.50am on Saturday

Rachel was seen wearing black leggings, a black vest and trainers at the time she vanished, with a phone visible on her outer thigh, suggesting she was out on a run.

Specially trained search and rescue teams yesterday scoured Delamere Lake Sailing & Holiday Park and Wild Shore water sports centre, Cheshire - around a mile and a half from her last known sighting - in a frantic bid to find Rachel. 

Police believe she may have travelled to the village of Oakmere, near Delamere Forest, while underwater search teams have also been deployed to the sailing lake.

Isaac Carolan, 19, who works at the Sandiway Garage, revealed Rachel's final purchase before she vanished.

He added: 'But it didn't seem weird, she didn't seem disturbed or flustered.'

Another shopkeeper, at a Premier store in Barnton, where Rachel lives, described her as 'a lovely clever lady' who always comes in for parcels. They said she is 'very active and very nice', adding: 'We all like her.' 

Under the police appeal, two friends have claimed they may have spotted Rachel - described as being 5ft 9in tall, of a slim build and with blonde hair - attempting to hitchhike hours after her last sighting. 

They said: 'It does look like the same lady that was hitching a lift except the lady we seen [sic] obviously had the yellow jacket/cardigan on.' 

The potential witness said this was around the Church Minshull area - some eight miles from the petrol station - between 12.30pm and 1.15pm on Saturday, hours after her last official sighting.

A separate witness also claimed they may have seen her passing a farm shop at Minshull and 'walking towards Crewe'. 

Nearby water park Wild Shore Delamere has also been shut down temporarily. The company said it has closed due to 'ongoing police investigations in the surrounding area', but insists the incident is 'unrelated' to them.

Rachel's mother, Chrissie Widdowson, shared the police's appeal to find her daughter, along with friends and members of the public.