Katrice Lee vanished from a supermarket near a British Army base in Paderborn, Germany on her second birthday in 1981 - and her family has been searching for her since
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Decades after Katrice Lee vanished in supermarket family still desperate for answers
08:43, 9 Dec 2023
A desperate family continues to search for a sister and daughter - 42 years after she
disappeared.
Natasha and Sharon Lee are yearning for answers decades after Katrice Lee was last seen on her second birthday in 1981 in a supermarket near a British Army base in Paderborn, Germany. The tot vanished and her family has been looking for her ever since.
Natasha, Katrice's older sister by five years, said: "Both my parents are in their 70s. I don't want them to go to their graves never knowing what happened. When I was seven I was told to pray to God, and if I prayed hard enough he would bring Katrice home. So I prayed and prayed, and he didn't bring her home. I don't believe in God now."
The case of Katrice Lee is one of the most baffling and heart-breaking missing person stories. Katrice and her family were living in British military accommodation in Germany in November 1981, and her mother and auntie took her on a routine trip to the local NAAFI store on her second birthday.
Katrice's mother, Sharon, forgot to pick up crisps, so dashed back to get some, leaving her in the care of her aunt — or so she thought. In the few minutes it took her to return, Katrice was gone. Each adult thought the little girl was with the other.
At first, it was assumed — by the Royal Military Police which headed the hunt for Katrice — that the child had simply wandered off and drowned in a nearby river. Yet no body was ever found, and by the time it was acknowledged that she could have been abducted, as her family always believed she was, it was too late. Witness statements were not taken until weeks later — even years later in some cases; roads were not closed, nor Katrice's description circulated.
Richard Lee, the girls' father, continued to serve in the Army until 1999, notching up 34 years of distinguished service. Last week, he declared that he will hand his medals back, in protest of what he perceives was a lack of support the family have received from the military and the Government. A march on Downing Street is planned for next year, when he will make the symbolic sacrifice.
Natasha told
Daily Mail: "My dad was prepared to give his life for Queen and Country, so those medals mean everything to him. But Katrice, and the truth about what happened to her, means more."
Hartlepool father of missing Katrice Lee announces date for march on 10 Downing Street to hand back medals
The Mail revealed in November how
Richie Lee had decided to give away his medals in protest at the handling of the search for his daughter Katrice.
She disappeared on her second birthday on November 28, 1981, from a NAAFI supermarket in what was then West Germany where Richie was a serving warrant officer at the time.
The date for the march on Downing Street has now been announced as Friday, May 31.
And Richie will not be alone after scores of fellow forces veterans and supporters have rallied round to join him.
www.missingpeople.org.uk
