UK UK - Lee Boxell, 15, Sutton (Outer London borough) , 10 September 1988

[Bickles]

But surely that threat has gone now? They're adults. It would be understood that they were frightened as children.

Yes, but so much time has passed that people might also worry about the legalities of not coming forward sooner.

 

[Ellymoo]

I would hope that press releases and statements by the police would make it clear that people wouldn't be blamed for things which happened to them as children, but I guess the fear of perverting the course of justice would be understandable.

Still - an anonymous note? SOMETHING?

 

[Mrs Marple]

They might have gone on to live 'normal' lives. Too scared to involve themselves in such a case now? Tough work explaining to your spouse/children/friends/colleagues as a 50 something why you didn't report a child murder.

It might also be difficult for someone to admit they were sexually assaulted if they have never told anyone. After all these years, they may find it too hard to talk about.

 

[BrutishGoose32]

Exactly fond the grave he dug that night or yhe following day and that is where he is.

Just my opinion, but I personally don't believe in the shed theory, I've read posts elsewhere from plenty of different people who knew Lee and said he wasn't a smoker, or drinker and they never saw him at the shed as he wasn't the type at all. So I don't think that's where he went that day.

Having said that, Find A Grave has a detailed page listing a lot of graves located in St Dunstan's Churchyard. I'm not sure if that's all of them but the only one I could find close enough to went Lee missing is this one, 2 September 1987.

Assuming he would've used a recently dug grave for ease and to avoid any suspicion, it's still just about a year before Lee went missing though.

It also looks like 3 people are buried here, so I'm not sure how that works in terms of leaving space in the event Lee was buried in a grave like this.

When this graveyard was searched back in 2012 I believe, they didn't have permission to search actual graves, just the area around the graves. Apparently getting permission to exhume and search graves is a very difficult process. I suppose to really rule this out we'd have to check every grave.

 

[kes1972]

Just my opinion, but I personally don't believe in the shed theory, I've read posts elsewhere from plenty of different people who knew Lee and said he wasn't a smoker, or drinker and they never saw him at the shed as he wasn't the type at all. So I don't think that's where he went that day.

Having said that, Find A Grave has a detailed page listing a lot of graves located in St Dunstan's Churchyard. I'm not sure if that's all of them but the only one I could find close enough to went Lee missing is this one, 2 September 1987.

Assuming he would've used a recently dug grave for ease and to avoid any suspicion, it's still just about a year before Lee went missing though.

View attachment 658246

It also looks like 3 people are buried here, so I'm not sure how that works in terms of leaving space in the event Lee was buried in a grave like this.

When this graveyard was searched back in 2012 I believe, they didn't have permission to search actual graves, just the area around the graves. Apparently getting permission to exhume and search graves is a very difficult process. I suppose to really rule this out we'd have to check every grave.

No, just the graves within days of lb going missing.

 

[BrutishGoose32]

No, just the graves within days of lb going missing.

That's what I was trying to say. Based on what I found on Find A Grave there was only that one from September 1987, which I've detailed in my previous post.

 

[kes1972]

That's what I was trying to say. Based on what I found on Find A Grave there was only that one from September 1987, which I've detailed in my previous post.

I am not getting it, he went missing on the 10th sept 1988?
So a freshly dug grave within a day or two of that date. At any churchyard that he worked at which would or should be many local ones.

 

[BrutishGoose32]

I am not getting it, he went missing on the 10th sept 1988?
So a freshly dug grave within a day or two of that date. At any churchyard that he worked at which would or should be many local ones.

It's my understanding that he only worked at St Dunstan's Church.

I'm a bit rusty on reading up on this case, I'm not sure if I read that he was a gravedigger elsewhere.

It would make more sense to bury Lee at the shed, (located at St Dunstan's Church) assuming that's where he died, than to risk moving him to another graveyard.

Again, I'm not much of a believer in this theory. I've seen it posted elsewhere too many times that people who knew Lee never saw him there as he wasn't the type.

 

[Deadbeat]

It's my understanding that he only worked at St Dunstan's Church.

I'm a bit rusty on reading up on this case, I'm not sure if I read that he was a gravedigger elsewhere.

It would make more sense to bury Lee at the shed, (located at St Dunstan's Church) assuming that's where he died, than to risk moving him to another graveyard.

Again, I'm not much of a believer in this theory. I've seen it posted elsewhere too many times that people who knew Lee never saw him there as he wasn't the type.

I’m not sure what to believe but it has been reported in the press, on multiple occasions, that ‘Police also uncovered evidence that he used to hang out in an outbuilding at St Dunstan's church, known as the shed, a meeting place for teenagers that became a target for sexual predators.’

Lee Boxell disappearance: three men arrested on suspicion of murder

Breakthrough in case of 15-year-old Lee, who vanished in Surrey in 1988

www.theguardian.com

So I can only assume witnesses came forward to say they’d seen him there on at least a few occasions in the past? As for the actual day he disappeared though, it would seem there’s no confirmed witness sightings of him having been there?

 

[kes1972]

It's my understanding that he only worked at St Dunstan's Church.

I'm a bit rusty on reading up on this case, I'm not sure if I read that he was a gravedigger elsewhere.

It would make more sense to bury Lee at the shed, (located at St Dunstan's Church) assuming that's where he died, than to risk moving him to another graveyard.

Again, I'm not much of a believer in this theory. I've seen it posted elsewhere too many times that people who knew Lee never saw him there as he wasn't the type.

And that is why this case stays open because people choose to ignore the obvious.

 

[BrutishGoose32]

And that is why this case stays open because people choose to ignore the obvious.

Not sure what you mean by that

 

[Ellymoo]

And that is why this case stays open because people choose to ignore the obvious.

Which is...?

 

[BrutishGoose32]

A hopeful update from Peter Boxell this morning.

 

[Deadbeat]

Article published yesterday regarding the ‘reopening’ of the case:

Lee Boxell case to be reopened by police cold case unit

The Met has confirmed it is reopening the case of Lee Boxell who was last seen in September 1988

www.examinerlive.co.uk

Apparently ‘The fresh probe will apply modern forensic techniques to old evidence - including a watch found years ago’.

 

[THX]

It might also be difficult for someone to admit they were sexually assaulted if they have never told anyone. After all these years, they may find it too hard to talk about.

I dunno if you listened to Mark Williams Thomas's podcast about Lee Boxell's case? There was a woman they interviewed on there as I recall, where she said it only relatively recently crystalised in her that she had actually been sexually assaulted.

 

[BrutishGoose32]

Interesting to mention the watch. I can't believe it hasn't already been tested for DNA already. Could be the biggest lead in the case!

Article published yesterday regarding the ‘reopening’ of the case:

Lee Boxell case to be reopened by police cold case unit

The Met has confirmed it is reopening the case of Lee Boxell who was last seen in September 1988

www.examinerlive.co.uk

Apparently ‘The fresh probe will apply modern forensic techniques to old evidence - including a watch found years ago’