Drone and helicopter join hunt for missing Lancashire woman

Lindsay Birbeck, from Huncoat, mear Accrington, has been missing since Monday, August 12, and her family describe the disappearance as completely out of character.The 47-year-old teaching assistant was last seen on CCTV on Burnley Road walking towards the junction with Peel Park Avenue shortly after 4pm.A witness has described having a conversation with a lady matching Lindsay’s description at the top of Peel Park Avenue at 4.30pm and says the lady then turned left from the road onto the path at the end of the road.

The same witness saw a man walking a black Labrador towards the same path and it’s possible this dog walker saw which way Lindsay then went. There are no other confirmed sightings of Lindsay on that day or since.Det Insp Tim McDermott, of Lancashire Police, said: “We’ve been undertaking extensive searches all week involving large teams from Lancashire Constabulary, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service as well as a number of volunteers from Mountain Rescue teams."In addition, the police drone and helicopter have been deployed to survey the area. These searches have encompassed The Coppice, to the rear of Burnley Road, as well as the surrounding open land for a considerable distance including popular walking and running routes."I reiterate this is a missing person enquiry and there is no evidence at this time that Lindsay has been the victim of any criminal act."A large team of dedicated detectives, working in partnership with the search teams, are conducting numerous enquiries and are following up on information provided from the public. Lindsay’s family have been updated throughout by specialist officers."The support that the investigation team has had from the local community has been incredible and I would appeal to the public to continue to report anything they think relevant. I am aware that groups from the local community are also out in the area looking for Lindsay and I would encourage them to continue the co-operation they’ve shown with our systematic professional searching and also to keep themselves safe on recognised paths, wearing clothing suitable for the conditions."We share the deep concern of the family and the local community for Lindsay’s whereabouts and I would reassure everyone that we are doing all that can be done to find her. I appreciate the concern shown from the public and we will continue to share any information that we think may help find Lindsay.”Anyone with information can contact police on 101 quoting log 0016 of August 13. For immediate sightings, call 999.