Someone Knows
Missing Lee Boxell
Lee was last seen in Sutton High Street outside what was at the time a Tesco store between 2.20 pm on Saturday, September 10, 1988. According to The Detective Podcast his Swatch watch was found dumped nearby, it had stopped at 2.22. Despite massive searches and the family’s tireless campaign, the teenager has never been found. I do think it is important to mention the original time of the last sighting was said to be 1 p.m. which is in fact the time that he left his friend.
Although this is not a full-on detailed blog, I hope that by publishing this story, we may spark some interest and information to help us complete our cold case review.
At the time that he went missing, Lee was 5 feet 7 inches tall of slim build with light brown hair; he was wearing black jeans, a white Flinstones tee shirt and brown suede shoes.
Lee’s father Peter says that he and his wife are getting old and they just want to be able to say a proper goodbye and grieve for their son before they pass away themselves. I can fully understand this and it must be so difficult for them to live day to day never knowing what happened to a boy who went to the shops and never came home.
The family has kept Lee’s room exactly as it was on the day he went missing, even his pyjamas, folded under his pillow, ready for his return. This is really such a touching thing.
There seem to be many theories surrounding the disappearance of Lee including his attending an unofficial youth club that a sex offender ranbut this information did not come to light until several years after Lee went missing. At this stage of our enquiries, I am not satisfied that this was how the teenager met an end if indeed he is deceased.
Field was on licence from a prison sentence having been released in June 1988. He was staying at an approved premises hostel in Birmingham but was certainly free to move around during the day time hours. I will be posting a separate blog about this male as he may well have been tied to several other child abductions and murders.
Brian Field was later to be convicted of the abduction and murder of 14-year-old Roy Tuthill in April 1968. Field was eventually arrested and charged with murder on February 21st 2001 he was sentenced to life imprisonment and died in custody in September 2024 aged 87. Was he involved in the disappearance of Lee Boxell?
The disturbing part of this possible lead is that for several years Brian Field worked as a gardener and the other lead suspect, William Lambert in the case was a gravedigger/cemetery gardener. Were the two evil paedophiles in touch with one another?
In an episode of The Detective Podcast, Mark Williams Thomas interviewed a male who talked of travelling with William Lambert to meet another male in Brighton, East Sussex. Was this other male Brian Field?
Please bear in mind these are, at this stage just possibilities, but points to be considered. We will bring more details as our research progresses. In the meantime, if you have any information that could help Lee Boxell’s parents to discover what happened to their son please contact the police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111
If you would like to discuss this or any other case please email us