Coronation Street fans have turned detective and uncovered a major clue that

suggests Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) might actually be alive.

Lauren disappeared in February of this year. When the police began an investigation,

the assumption was made that she had been murdered and that poor Roy Cropper (David Neilson) was responsible.

Of course, we knew all along that Roy had nothing to do with Lauren going missing.

In a special week of episodes that aired in May, Roy was released and it

was confirmed solicitor Joel Deering (Calum Lill) was responsible for the crime.

In flashback scenes, it was revealed Joel and Lauren had been having a sexual relationship, something which could destroy Joel’s life – and that’s before his sinister actions that followed.

Grabbing a screaming Lauren, he threw her to the ground and repeatedly beat her with a blunt instrument in ghastly scenes.

While Joel’s true nature hasn’t been revealed yet, we know storylines like this will have many twists and turns – but will one of them be confirmation Lauren is actually alive?

Recently in the ITV soap, Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) discovered someone had been using her old company credit card from her job in London.

Falling victim to fraud, Bethany turned her attention to Joel for advice, hoping to find something that proved someone else stole her identity.

After this brief plot, Coronation Street fans took to social media to express the potential connection to Lauren, wondering if she stole the card a few months ago when viewers saw her attempt to steal £5 from Bethany’s purse.

‘Calling it now… last scenes of Lauren was her in Bethany’s purse. Did she take a picture of Bethany’s work credit card or somehow clone it? Bet the £5 fell out and she was putting it back’, one Corrie fan said on X.

‘Think Lauren is in hiding using the credit card’, another wrote.

Echoing the thoughts, this fan said that: ‘It’s definitely Lauren who’s been using Bethany’s credit card isn’t it, good on ya gal.’

Whether Lauren is alive or not remains to be seen, but one thing we do know is that Calum Lill has been pictured filming as Joel outside an abandoned pub – which certainly interests us.

He is seen working alongside Lucy Fallon and Channique Sterling-Brown aka Bethany and Dee-Dee Bailey, but are they close to finding Lauren’s body?

Or has Joel been keeping her hostage there?

MORE : Coronation Street killer ‘caught out’ as Emmerdale resident feared dead in 12 new soap spoilers

MORE : Coronation Street Joel star Calum Lill engaged to girlfriend with help from co-star

MORE : Coronation Street funeral showdown as teen says goodbye to her love with Joel striking again