Still missing
Can you help?
Katrice Lee disappeared on 28 November 1981, her second birthday, from the NAAFI at Schloß Neuhaus, Germany. She has never been found. No one has been able to establish what happened to her that Saturday morning.
Since Katrice disappeared, the supermarket has closed and the British military community that once surrounded Paderborn has largely gone. Many of those who were there in 1981 have grown old. Some have died.
Katrice would now be in her forties. For Sharon, Ritchie and Natasha, however, the passage of time has never changed the most important fact: she is still missing.
Somebody may still know what happened inside or around the NAAFI on 28 November 1981. Someone may remember something they saw or heard but did not think was important at the time. Others may have information they have never shared.
It is not too late. If you have any information about Katrice’s disappearance, however insignificant you think it may be, please come forward.
Who to contact
Share information with investigators
Information can be provided to Operation Bute, the Defence Serious Crime Unit’s investigation into Katrice’s case:
Do you remember that day?
Any detail may matter
- Were you in or around Schloß Neuhaus on Saturday 28 November 1981?
- Were you shopping at the NAAFI?
- Were you serving with the British military in Paderborn or Sennelager?
- Did you work at the NAAFI, the nearby school, or elsewhere in Schloß Neuhaus?
- Do you remember seeing a small child, a man carrying a child, or a green saloon car?
- Did somebody ever tell you something about Katrice’s disappearance that seemed unusual or important?
Even if you have previously spoken to the police, information you remember now may still matter.
Identifying details
Katrice
Katrice was two years old when she disappeared. She had curly light-brown hair, hazel eyes and a distinctive squint in her left eye which would have required corrective treatment as she grew older.
What she was wearing
- A turquoise Mothercare duffel coat
- A green and blue frilled tartan pinafore dress
- A white blouse
- White tights
- Red Wellington boots
A line of inquiry
The man and the green car
A witness reported seeing a man carrying a young child fitting Katrice’s description from the area of the NAAFI towards a green saloon car. A photofit was produced shortly after Katrice disappeared but was not released publicly until many years later.
Investigators have sought to identify this man and establish whether the green saloon car was connected to Katrice’s disappearance.
If you recognise the man, remember a green saloon car in the area, or have any information that could help identify him, that information may still be important.
No detail is too small
No Detail Is Too Small
More than forty years have passed. Memories fade, and details that once appeared insignificant can take on a different importance when considered alongside other evidence.
You do not need to know what happened to Katrice. You may simply know something that helps investigators understand what happened that day.