Husband suspect in NSW teacher murder

The estranged husband of missing NSW primary school teacher Sharon Edwards has been named as a suspect in her murder, a year after the grandmother vanished.

Forensic examination of new phone data has placed Mrs Edwards, 55, around the Lawrence area, north of Grafton, on March 14 last year, the night she went missing.

Her husband, John Edwards, was the last person to see her alive, telling police he saw her at their home in Riverdale Court around 10.30pm.

Detectives say Mr Edwards' movements on that day are of significant interest, as is the interaction between the estranged couple that night.

"If you're asking me `is he a suspect?', yes, Mr Edwards is a suspect," Detective Inspector Darren Jameson told reporters in Sydney on Friday.

Two weeks after the popular teacher went missing, Mr Edwards made a plea for people with information to come forward.

He said that he and Mrs Edwards had been married 33 years and had plans for the future.

"Someone out there must know some little something. I've just been sitting at home racking my brains out going crazy," he said.

The 58-year-old is currently on parole after serving three months of a 12-month jail sentence for unrelated firearm offences last year.

Det Insp Jameson said there was no reason for Mrs Edwards, who has three sons, to make the 30km trip to Lawrence that night.

He said Mrs Edwards' demeanour was positive in CCTV footage that has been released of her leaving dinner with friends at the Good Intents Hotel in Grafton at around 10.30pm on March 14.

Whether there was a verbal or physical altercation between the estranged couple that prompted the trip is one idea being considered.

Police know Mrs Edwards changed her clothes at her Grafton home and left her car in the garage, but her purse, keys and phone have not been found.

Forensic officers are now further examining the mobile phone data hoping to pinpoint its exact final location and identify what other mobile phones were in that area at the time.

It's data that could lead them to the killer or to Mrs Edwards' body.

In a statement, her youngest son Josh said the past year had been tough on the family but they had the support of the tight-knit Grafton community.

"A year is a long time without any contact and any answers. It's heartbreaking for all of us - we miss her so much."