Katrice Lee

Status:

Open

Missing From:

Schloß Neuhaus, Paderborn, West Germany (now Germany)

Summary:

Katrice Lee, a British 2-year-old girl, disappeared on her second birthday, November 28, 1981, from a NAAFI shopping complex in Schloß Neuhaus near Paderborn, West Germany, while her mother briefly left her at a checkout. Her whereabouts remain unknown after over 44 years. Multiple theories exist—some police favored an accidental drowning in the nearby River Lippe, while her family and modern investigators believe she was abducted.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

On November 28, 1981, Katrice's second birthday, her family went to the NAAFI shopping complex in Schloß Neuhaus to purchase items for her birthday party. The shopping center was exceptionally busy as it was the last payday before Christmas. Katrice was carried through the supermarket by her mother Sharon and placed down at the checkout. Sharon briefly left to purchase crisps, asking her sister Wendy to watch Katrice. When Sharon returned approximately 40 seconds to one minute later, Katrice had vanished. Wendy believed Katrice had followed her mother but discovered she was gone. A major search was immediately undertaken by the Royal Military Police, West German civil police, British troops, and volunteers.

Additional Details:

The initial investigation proved highly problematic. The German police refused to engage with the press, and it took six weeks before the case appeared in the local newspaper. The military and German police focused heavily on the nearby River Lippe, believing Katrice had fallen in and drowned, and extensively dredged the river, but no body was ever found. The investigation produced little result. Delays plagued the case from the start: borders were not informed for 48 hours, sniffer dogs were not brought in for 24 hours, and it took weeks to interview key witnesses. The Lee family dismissed the drowning theory, stating Katrice would not have gone near water. In 2000, the case was reopened after computer technology created an age-progression image of Katrice as a young woman. This led to three possible sightings reported across Europe and an eyewitness account of a man seen placing a child matching Katrice's description into a green saloon car at the time of her disappearance. Her sister Natasha appeared on BBC's Crimewatch appeal, after which an anonymous woman left a message on Richard Lee's answering machine saying to look for Katrice in France. This lead yielded nothing. In 2012, the Royal Military Police and Defence Minister Mark Francois formally apologized to the family for significant failings in the original investigation. The case was reopened under Operation Bute, a comprehensive reinvestigation using modern techniques. In 2018, a 2017 photographic composite of the suspected man was finally reissued publicly; this composite had been created in 1981 but not released for 36 years. A green saloon car was seen on the River Alme Bridge the day after Katrice disappeared, renewing focus on that area. In May 2018, after re-analysis of existing evidence identified the River Alme bank as significant, British military personnel undertook a five-week forensic excavation involving over 100 soldiers. Bone fragments were found but proved to be non-human (horse bones). The search was ruled out of the investigation. In September 2019, the Royal Military Police arrested a former serviceman in Swindon in connection with the disappearance and searched a terraced house, using ground-penetrating radar. The man was released without charge two days later. In October 2019, a woman named Heidi Robinson was sentenced for impersonating Katrice online; she pleaded guilty to a malicious communications offense and was handed an 18-week suspended sentence with a mental health treatment requirement. A 2020 DNA test proved Robinson was not Katrice, but she has continued to claim this identity. In December 2020, renewed investigations were scaled back with the RMP announcing they would only respond to new lines of inquiry. In November 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed to meet Richard Lee father-to-father but no subsequent government contact materialized. In 2025, the case remains active with the family still seeking answers. Richard Lee continues media campaigns, and an exhibition featuring photographs and case materials was created to mark what would have been Katrice's 45th birthday.

Case Last Updated:

Nov 06, 2026