Riverbank searched in hunt for toddler who vanished 36 years ago
a major forensic search began yesterday in the hunt for a British toddler who vanished in Germany 36 years ago.
Military police are digging up a riverbank as they look for any trace of Katrice Lee, who went missing on her second birthday.
She was last seen in a shopping centre in Schloss Neuhaus, north-west Germany, close to the army base where her father was stationed.
Despite a vast search at the time by the Royal Military Police (RMP), German police, British troops and volunteers, the trail went cold.
But the case was reopened in 2012 and yesterday the RMP announced it would carry out a dig on the banks of the River alme in nearby Paderborn.
It followed analysis of evidence gathered during the original investigation, which pinpointed the river as an area of interest, the force said.
Senior investigating officer Richard O’Leary, of the RMP, said: ‘On this basis, a team of military personnel and civilian forensic experts will be carrying out a detailed excavation of the site, which is expected to last approximately five weeks.
‘The aim of the search is to find evidence that could finally shed light on what happened to Katrice.’
He renewed an appeal for information about a man seen at the shopping centre placing a child matching the toddler’s description into a green saloon car. a similar car was later seen close to the River alme.
Investigators believe Katrice, who had been shopping with her mother when she disappeared, may still be alive having been abducted but have little memory of her early years.
She was born with a distinctive condition in her left eye which would have required two operations to correct.
Mr O’Leary said: ‘a green saloon car was also seen on the River alme Bridge ... the day after Katrice disappeared. It may or may not be the same car, but we are very keen to identify this car.
‘an age progression image of what Katrice may look like now, aged 38, has been produced.
‘If anyone feels they know someone who looks like this, or believes they could be Katrice, then we would encourage them to come forward.’
Her mother, Sharon, 64, yesterday told The Sun the toddler was ‘gone in a matter of seconds’. She said: ‘It’s living a nightmare that you never wake up from.
‘Nearly 37 years ago we became members of an exclusive club we didn’t ask for membership of – we became parents of a missing daughter.
‘I would dearly love to be able to revoke that membership. although I would like a fairytale ending to our story, I fully appreciate that might not be.
‘But at the end of the day, we will have closure and any emotions that come from that closure we will learn to live with and deal with as we have for the past nearly 37 years.
‘The next five weeks is a double-edged sword for us as a family.
‘We desperately want Katrice to be found but we also know that if anything is discovered during this search then my daughter’s would have been ended in very unsavoury circumstances. That’s another emotion we have learn to live with.’
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said that Katrice’s case was heart-wrenching, adding: ‘The disappearance of a child is every parent’s worst nightmare and I have been struck by the courage and dignity of the Lee family who have never given up on their search for Katrice.
‘as this major dig gets under way, the efforts and expertise of the Royal Military Police are behind the family.’