Kevin Hicks

Status:

Open

Summary:

Kevin Hicks was a 16-year-old student who vanished on the evening of Sunday, March 2, 1986, from his home in Addiscombe, Croydon, South London. Around 8:30 PM, Kevin informed his mother that he needed to pop out to a local store to buy eggs for a school home economics exam scheduled for the following morning. He left the house with a small amount of pocket money and was last seen around 10:00 PM walking along Shirley Road, heading back toward his family home. He never returned, and his bed remai

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

When his parents attempted to report him missing the next morning, local police initially declined to launch an immediate search, advising the family that because Kevin was 16, they had to wait 24 hours. However, those close to Kevin emphasized that he had no reason to run away. He was thriving in school, was actively applying for jobs—including one that had sent an interview invitation the day after he vanished—and had recently obtained his provisional motorbike license.

Additional Details:

For decades, the case remained a frustrating mystery with few concrete leads. A significant shift occurred in 2016, on the 30th anniversary of his disappearance, when the Metropolitan Police officially reclassified the case as a murder investigation. Detectives concluded that Kevin was likely killed within hours of leaving his house that night. They also revealed a compelling new line of inquiry, suggesting that Kevin might have been groomed by an older individual in the weeks leading up to his disappearance. Investigators noted that Kevin had recently been trying to hide audio speakers given to him by an unknown person, leading police to suspect that his late-night trip to "buy eggs" may have been a cover story to secretly meet someone. The tragedy deeply scarred Kevin's family. His mother, Terry, passed away from a brain tumor in 1994, just days after making a televised appeal for information about her son. His father, Derek, remained in the family home for nearly two decades hoping Kevin would return, but died in 2004 without ever learning the truth. His sister, Alexandra, was left as the sole surviving family member to keep the search alive, continuing to appeal to the Croydon community for anyone holding long-kept secrets to finally come forward.

Case Last Updated:

Oct 23, 2026