£20k reward to find Lee Boxell, 15, feared murdered after going missing 35 years ago today

Crimestoppers is offering a potentially life changing amount of money in order to help find the remains of a 15-year-old schoolboy who went missing 35 years ago today (September 10).

A £20,000 reward is being offered to find the remains of Lee Boxell, who left his home in Sutton, southwest London, on September 10 1988, and went shopping with a friend before they parted ways.

Parents Peter and Christine, both now in their 70s, hope to find his remains so they can "say goodbye" to their "beloved son", who would be aged 50 by now.

Over the years, the police have investigated countless lines of enquiry in order to find Lee. This includes conducting the Met’s largest ever archaeological dig, at St Dunstan’s church yard in Cheam. The search came after a man, who is now dead, "bragged" he had buried him there, but when questioned he told police he’d "helped Lee to get away" to live a new life.

However, the man’s allegations were ultimately deemed ‘not credible’. Police are now making a fresh appeal to people who would have been teenagers back then, who used to hang around in an outbuilding used by kids but targeted by sexual predators.

Despite Lee’s body not being found at ‘The Shed’, it is feared Lee may have been killed after witnessing child abuse there.

Lee’s father, Peter Boxell, said: “We have not seen or heard from our dear son Lee since he went to Sutton, thirty-five years ago on 10th September 1988. He was only 15 when he disappeared. We fear that Lee may have been murdered.

"We are still hoping that someone will come forward to help find his remains, so that my wife and I can say goodbye to our beloved son before it’s too late for us - we are in our late 70’s. If you can help us and his sister finally know what happened and have some closure - please, do what’s right.

“This really does give someone a chance to do the right thing and help ease our years of pain. We can then see Lee finally laid to rest.”

Issuing the fresh appeal today, Detective chief inspector Kate Blackburn said: “While we don’t have conclusive evidence that Lee came to harm, with no sightings or credible information in 35 years we sadly believe that Lee is no longer alive.

“Over the years we have interviewed a number of people who we believe were involved in, or know about Lee’s disappearance. When arrested, those people gave a number of conflicting accounts.

“One eighty-year-old man, who is now deceased, claimed that he had ‘helped Lee to get away’ and that he was now living away from his family under an assumed name. This version of events was investigated and was found not to have been credible.

“This man, and his associates, also claimed that they had seen Lee a year later. However, members of the public called police anonymously with information stating that he had bragged that he had buried Lee in the churchyard at St Dunstan’s church in Cheam.

“That information led us to conduct the largest ever archaeological dig undertaken by the Met at St Dunstan’s church yard. Sadly, that search did not find Lee and his parents continue in their desperate hope to find him.”

Detective chief inspector Blackburn added: “Lee was a boy with a very happy family life. He was a good student who loved football. The story that he had run away, started a new life and was living under an assumed name was absolutely not viable.

“My hope is that someone who didn’t feel they could speak to us in the past may now feel that they can come forward and share what they know. At this stage of our investigation my priority is to find Lee so that he can be returned to his parents.

"Lee’s parents deserve answers and they deserve the opportunity to bury their much-loved son. Your information could help end the suffering for Lee’s family. If you can help, anonymously or otherwise please do get in touch.”