For over four decades, a family has lived with the agonising mystery of a toddler who disappeared on her second birthday. Katrice Lee vanished from a Naafi supermarket in Germany in 1981, and her older sister, Natasha Walker, has never stopped hoping for her return.
A Birthday Erased in Seconds
On the day Katrice turned two, her family, who were living near a military base where her father Richard was stationed, visited the supermarket. Her mother, Sharon, realised she had forgotten crisps for the birthday and momentarily left Katrice with an aunt. In the brief moment both adults looked away, the little girl was gone.
Natasha Walker, then just seven years old, was at home. Her first memory of the tragedy is her father returning to say Katrice was missing. She recalls finding her mother screaming in the street, a sound she describes as haunting and unforgettable. "I just couldn't comprehend it," Ms Walker told The Independent. "For me as a seven-year-old, if you lose a doll, it turns up."
A Flawed Investigation and Enduring Pain
The family's ordeal was compounded by what they later learned was a flawed investigation by the Royal Military Police. Ms Walker states that police were initially adamant Katrice had wandered out, crossed a busy car park, and drowned in a river. This theory, the family says, meant town borders were not sealed promptly, shop staff were not interviewed, and potential witnesses were ignored for years.
In 2012, the Royal Military Police apologised and admitted the earlier investigations were lacking, pledging to reopen the case. The disappearance has cast a long shadow over the family's life. Ms Walker spent a week with neighbours while her parents searched, feeling she had "lost my whole family." The atmosphere at home changed forever. "I walked into a house of complete darkness and silence. That will haunt me," she said.
The pain has been exploited by others, with one woman jailed for harassing the family and another sentenced for malicious communications after impersonating Katrice online.
Living in Hope, Supporting SafeCall
Despite the passage of 44 years, Natasha Walker clings to the hope of finding her sister. When she married in 2018, she had a red button from Katrice's cardigan sewn into her wedding dress so she could feel close to her. She has missed a lifetime of sisterly moments, from sharing secrets to having arguments.
Ms Walker believes Katrice was abducted. "In an ideal world, what I would love to have happened is that she has led a really happy life… But we live in hope because if you don't have that, you don't really have anything. And we're not ready to give up."
The Independent has raised £165,000 to launch SafeCall, a free, confidential service run by the charity Missing People to help missing children find safety and support. Amy Walker, a family support worker at Missing People, said: "Katrice Lee was just two years old when she went missing, and decades later her family is still living with unanswered questions and deep loss… We stand with Katrice’s family and will continue to support them for as long as they need."
To support the SafeCall campaign, you can donate or text SAFE to 70577 to give £10. For advice if someone goes missing, call or text 116 000.
