Family pay tribute to mum found dead in Cheshire lake

Rachel Booth was last seen buying a bottle of wine and milk from a petrol station on Saturday morning (Picture: Cheshire Police)

The family of missing mum Rachel Booth who was found dead in a lake have paid tribute to their ‘loving mother, wife, daughter and sister’.

The 38-year-old was last seen buying a bottle of wine and milk from the Sandiway petrol station in Northwich, Cheshire, in the early hours of Saturday.

Her body was found in a lake in Oakmere on Monday, around two miles away, after two days of searches.

Her family thanked everyone who helped with the search and remembered their ‘cherished’ mum.

They said: ‘As a family we would also like to offer our sincere thanks and appreciation to all the services and business that supported Cheshire Police and their officers during the search for Rachel. 

‘Rachel, who was known to us as Helena, was a cherished member of our family. She was a guiding light whose strength, love, and devotion touched us all. Her kindness was constant and her presence a strength to everyone she knew, a loving mother, wife, daughter and sister who can never be replaced but always present in our hearts.

‘Her absence leaves a space, but her smiles are a memory we will treasure for ever.’

CCTV captured Rachel in a petrol station before she went missing (Picture: Cheshire Police)

Rachel’s body was found around two miles away from her last sighting (Picture: Created with Datawrapper)

Rachel, a mum-of-three, was described by neighbours as ‘one of the nicest people you could meet’.

Police previously said there were not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding Rachel’s death.

A file has been prepared for the coroner and an inquest will follow at a later date.

At the time of her disappearance, police dogs helped in the search for her earlier this week.

The Wild Shore Delamere water sports centre near Chester was closed later on Saturday, with several police cars and fire engines in attendance.

It said in a statement it was closed ‘due to ongoing police investigations in the surrounding area’.

It is believed her belongings were found close to the lake and specialist divers were searching for her on Sunday.

The mum-of-three was reported missing early on Saturday (Picture: Cheshire Police)

On Monday two underwater search units arrived in the area next to the water park.

Drivers claimed they saw Rachel ‘between 12.30am and 1.15am walking in Minshull towards Crewe. They said: ‘It seemed quite a random part of the road to be thumbing a lift. I wondered about a broken down car too, but didn’t spot one anywhere.’

Rachel’s mum, Chrissie, said she believed the two sightings were real, and wrote on Facebook that her daughter had been wearing a yellow coat.

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.

Comment now Comments