This boy Lee doesn’t turn up … Could testimony unheard of until now point to murder? … A case unheard of for 30 years. Missing or Murdered? The Disappearance of Lee Boxall, Netflix 2019
So if Lee hasn’t run away, could he have been abducted? ibid.
Another body went missing in South London two years earlier than Lee. Could the cases be linked? Kevin Hicks. ibid.
Suspicions about St Dunstan’s [graveyard] won’t go away. ibid.
A ten-year mystery: one of the most high-profile baffling cases this century. A father, a mother, closest friends devastated: 35-year-old chef Claudia Lawrence walked across TV screens out of their lives. A firestorm in the media blowing the enquiry off course. Police facing a wall of silence. So did Claudia come to harm or could she survive overseas? Missing or Murdered? Claudia Lawrence
‘Some of Claudia’s relationships had an element of complexity and mystery to them.’ ibid. rozzer on TV
A woman told a national paper Claudia had a relationship with her husband. ibid.
It’s not known at exactly the time Claudia goes missing. ibid.
Was Claudia the victim of a serial killer? Christopher Halliwell, a Swindon taxi driver, was jailed in 2012 for two murders. ibid.
A boy who vanishes in the dead of night. A multitude of conflicting clues: has he come to harm, has he chosen to disappear? A boy with secrets … A shift from drug user to dealing … A boy who may have stepped too close to a dangerous world. A son and a brother gone – no contact, no body, no end to the torment. 13 years without an answer: is Luke Durbin missing or murdered? Missing or Murdered? Luke Durbin
It’s one of the most enduring mysteries in British criminal history. Nearly 35 years ago Suzy Lamplugh left her office and never came back. She’d gone to meet a mysterious Mr Kipper. Was it the work of a serial killer? How did he stay one step ahead of the police? But can a web of clues and new evidence help to solve the Suzy Lamplugh mystery? The Vanishing of Suzy Lamplugh, Channel 5 2020
Monday 28th July 1986: Suzy had an appointment to show a house to a potential buyer at 12.45 … There was no sign of Suzy … The description was used to create a photofit picture of the man mentioned in Suzy’s diary, Mr Kipper. Who had abducted Suzy? ibid.
As well as looking for Mr Kipper, detectives were looking for a dark BMW car. ibid.
Michael Cannan: but the lead from Reading wasn’t pursued. It was marked No Further Action At This Stage. ibid.
On Thursday 8th October 1987 Shirley Banks, a 29-year-old clothes designer from Bristol went missing after going shopping … The striking similarities between the two cases was soon headline news. ibid.
Cannan was also a suspect for the murder of 27-year-old office worker Sandra Court in Bournemouth in 1986. ibid.
In April 1989 Cannan had been convicted at Exeter Crown Court of several violent sexual assaults against women, including the rape in Reading … Cannan was also convicted of the murder of Shirley Banks. ibid.
Tuesday 19th February 2008 Day 1: 9 months after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann 9-year-old Shannon Matthews goes missing. Her disappearance is a total mystery. It triggers the biggest investigation in the region since the Yorkshire Ripper. This is a story of deception and betrayal and a plot nobody believed imaginable. The Disappearance of Shannon Matthews, captions, Channel 5 2021
West Yorkshire Police escalate her disappearance to the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team. ibid.
14 premises with connections to Shannon and her family are searched for any clues to her disappearance. ibid.
‘The last afternoon I saw her something didn’t seem right. ’Cause someone told her her brother was picked up that day after school but he never showed up.’ ibid. Megan Aldridge, best friend
West Yorkshire Police are attempting to trace and eliminate hundreds of sex offenders living in close proximity to the home of Shannon Matthews. Investigators are also building up a detailed profile of Shannon Matthews’ family. ibid. captions
Karen Matthews has been defending her boyfriend Craig Meehan in a series of media interviews. ibid.
Then Karen Matthews drops a bombshell. She suggests someone she knows has abducted Shannon. ibid.
But as the community pulls together, some journalists are becoming increasingly suspicious of Karen’s and Craig’s behaviour. They now seem to be relishing the spotlight. Doubts are also growing amongst the police family liaison officers assigned to Karen. ibid.
The documentary crew film Karen joking with her neighbour. She appears comfortable and relaxed. ibid. journalist
During their inquiries the police receive a tip-off about a local man. He has not been seen since Shannon went missing three weeks ago: Michael Donovan [born Paul Drake]. Police head to Donovan’s house in Batley Carr just one mile from Shannon’s home. ibid. caption
I knew that the voice had come from within the room. I couldn’t work out where it was coming from. And then there were some noises from within the double-bed base. The Disappearance of Shannon Matthews II, investigating rozzer
Two grizzly old detectives with tears in their eyes. ibid. rozzer #2
Nine-year-old Shannon Matthews has just been rescued from a flat a mile from her home. The police are still searching for her suspected abductor, Michael Donovan. ibid. captions
She didn’t ask any questions about the child’s welfare. ibid. rozzer #3
Michael Donovan is still being held at Halifax police station. He’s been arrested on suspicion of kidnap and false imprisonment. He has implicated Karen Matthews. ibid.
A hotel with a notorious past is the site of another bizarre case. It’s one of the most obsessively followed true crime cases of the century. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Hotel Cecil I: Lost in Los Angeles, television news, Netflix 2021
The Cecil is a very deceiving hotel. There’s a lot of beauty to it. But it was the complete opposite of beauty. ibid. man
We’ve got missing persons, suicides, overdoses … ibid. woman
With Elisa Lam, you’re talking about a 21-year-old college student that just completely disappears. ibid. man
Her laptop had been left behind, her prescription medications, other items of value … ibid.
The LAPD has released bizarre surveillance footage [elevator] of 21-year-old Elisa Lam. ibid. television news
It’s [video] been intentionally knocked out … They determine the video has essentially been slowed down 33 to 35 per cent … The edits could have possibly been done by the hotel before it was supplied to the police. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel II: Secrets of the Cecil, web sleuth
There is a ladder on the roof to get to the tanks. On top of the tank there’s a little hatch. And when I went to look that’s when I saw her. (Disappearances & Hotel & Accident) ibid. hotel maintenance man
Jack Unterweger begins to research a story about how the police deal with prostitution in downtown Los Angeles … Jack Unterweger is actually a convicted killer. A pimp. A rapist. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel III: Down the Rabbit Hole, woman
There appeared to be no evidence of external or internal injuries that could have led to her death. ibid. man
If you reduce the plot of Dark Water down to its basic elements, it’s almost the story of Elisa Lam. ibid.
She had at least four prescription medications … Elisa stopped taking her medications. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel IV: The Hard Truth, woman
You would also then have to come up a ladder with a body. ibid. man
The death of 21-year-old Canadian tourist Elisa Lam has been ruled an accident due to drowning. ibid. newswoman
She looked like she could be having hallucinations. ibid. woman
This is a tragedy about a woman who was suffering. ibid.