Police investigate 'psychic' who posted sick drawings of the 'murder' of missing chef Claudia Lawrence Lawrence went missing from home in Heworth, York, aged 35 in 2009 Nottingham psychic Rodney Ballard, 66, has been following case since Posted crude pencil drawing showing man strangling woman in car seat North Yorkshire Police investigates and criticises 'unhelpful' messages The family of missing Claudia Lawrence have called in police after a psychic bragged about knowing who killed her - and posted a sketch online of the moment he claims she was strangled. The chef vanished from her home in Heworth, York, aged 35 in March 2009 as she walked to her job in the city's university kitchen - and Rodney Ballard, 66, has been following the case ever since. North Yorkshire Police suspected she had been murdered - but no arrests have ever been made and she has never been found, in what became one of the highest-profile unsolved crimes in Britain. Missing: Claudia Lawrence (left) vanished from her home in Heworth, York, aged 35 in 2009 as she walked to her job in the city's university kitchen - and Rodney Ballard (right), 66, has been following the case ever since 'Duplex vision': In one chilling post on his website, Nottingham-based psychic Rodney Ballard uploaded a crude pencil drawing showing a man in his 50s strangling a woman in the passenger seat of a car But now her family have been targeted by Nottingham-based psychic Mr Ballard, who claims he knows who killed Miss Lawrence and even brags he has visions about what happened to her. In one chilling post on his website, he uploaded a crude pencil drawing showing a man in his 50s strangling a woman in the passenger seat of a car. He wrote: "Here we see the man who seems to be around fifty years. He has grey hair to No2 cut. He has tanned appearance perhaps due to frequent vacations in the sun or regular outdoor work. On his Facebook page Mr Ballard also claimed another 'vision' told him Miss Lawrence's body was dumped in a shallow grave near York. Concern: Martin Dales (right), a family friend and spokesman for Miss Lawrence's father, Peter Lawrence (left), said the posts were 'worrying and distressing for all those involved' Worried: Jen King, 28, a close friend of Miss Lawrence, said Mr Ballard 'doesn't understand the impact of the little things he puts on the internet - the psychological trauma it causes everyone' But family and friends of Miss Lawrence today blasted Mr Ballard for causing "a great deal of distress" as police officers were called to investigate whether his claims amounted to harassment. It is worrying and distressing for all those involved. He seems to have become obsessed with the whole investigation. This has gone on and on and needs stopping Martin Dales, spokesman for Claudia Lawrence's father Peter Lawrence Martin Dales, a family friend and spokesman for Miss Lawrence's father, Peter Lawrence, said: "It is worrying and distressing for all those involved. This has gone on and on and needs stopping. From all of Claudia's family and friends, we do not want to hear from him again. It's causing a great deal of distress.' Jen King, 28, a close friend of Miss Lawrence, added: "He doesn't understand the impact of the little things he puts on the internet - the psychological trauma it causes everyone." But when approached at his home in the Carlton area of Nottingham, retired coal industry electrical engineer Mr Ballard insisted his visions were true. Old times: Miss Lawrence with friends Suzy Cooper (left) and Jen King (right). North Yorkshire Police suspected Miss Lawrence had been murdered - but no arrests have ever been made He said: "I can see things and I can make contact with the lost souls and those that are no longer with us. I have a lot of conviction. People don't believe you because they think you are mad. Appeal: North Yorkshire Police's campaign poster for missing chef Miss Lawrence, who vanished in 2009 But I believe it. I'm not trolling them [the friends and family], I'm only putting it out in public. I'm fighting for Claudia and that's it. That's what I'm doing. I'll just carry on and if the knowledge is given, I will release it. Ballard first began following the case in 2009 shortly after Miss Lawrence vanished. He has spent years writing posts about the case online - even claiming she has made contact with him. The psychic also admitted travelling to her home and laying two wreaths at the door before publishing photographs on the internet. Miss Lawrence's friend Jen added: "I think he knows he is upsetting and hurting people and frightening them and he still doesn't seem to care. I don't know what that makes him. But to me it makes him not a very nice person and a bully - and I think he's also a coward. I genuinely believe there is more to what we see and experience, but on numerous occasions I think he's said things that show him to be false. A North Yorkshire Police spokesman confirmed the force was looking into Mr Ballard's posts - calling them "unhelpful." She said: "We are aware of the posts and are looking into the matter. These types of messages are unhelpful and cause great distress to people close to Claudia who are already suffering due her disappearance and not knowing what has happened to her.