The family of Alisha Apostoloff-Boyarin remain without closure after her killer, David Taylor, was handed a whole-life order, as her body has never been recovered. The 24-year-old was reported missing by her grandmother on February 2, 2022, and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) launched a murder investigation later that month after concluding she had 'come to serious harm'.
Family's long wait for justice
Alisha's grandmother, who had lived with her for a time and was one of the people closest to her, reported her missing after not hearing from her for a couple of weeks. She spoke to the Manchester Evening News in the days after GMP's announcement, but the interview never materialised as the investigation stepped up. She passed away during the first year of the murder investigation, never learning what happened to her granddaughter.
On June 19 this year, David Taylor, 64, was given a whole life order for committing two murders, including Alisha's, and one attempted murder. However, Alisha's body has never been found, and police have no idea where it could be.
Family's plea for answers
Rachel Lockley, Alisha's aunt, spoke of the family's trauma during Taylor's sentencing. "What is awful is we still can’t get closure," she said. "We cannot get her body home. You can only imagine the unlawful things he must have done to her. We as a family are traumatised to think that she trusted David Taylor. We want to give her the dignity of a burial."
Another relative, Teresa Robinson, added: "David Taylor took advantage, preyed on and led her to her death. This man knows where she is and if he has any remorse, he would tell us so we can bring her home and put her to rest."
Details of the case
Leeds Crown Court heard in June that Alisha was vulnerable and suffered with mental health difficulties. Prosecutor Jason Pitter KC described how at times Alisha 'befriended people in order to get accommodation and sometimes alcohol' - and Taylor was 'one such person towards the end of 2021'. He said that Taylor had 'perhaps grown tired' of Alisha towards the end of January 2022 and 'was considering ways he wanted to get rid of her'.
That month, Alisha was seen travelling between Durham and Derbyshire with Taylor in a Volkswagen Passat, and they were last seen travelling to Chapel-en-le-Frith on January 22. Taylor was arrested on suspicion of murder in March 2022, but insisted he did not know where Alisha was and denied killing her.
In March 2024, Taylor was charged with Alisha's murder and pleaded not guilty. On July 23, 2024, while on remand at HMP Frankland, County Durham, he lunged at two GMP officers with a makeshift shank during an interview, leaving one with a potentially life-threatening injury. He was found guilty of attempted murder in December last year.
In February this year, Taylor pleaded guilty to Alisha's murder. On June 18, he was also found guilty of murdering Kyle Bevan, a convicted child killer and fellow inmate at HMP Wakefield, alongside accomplices Mark ‘The Iceman’ Fellows, 45, and Lee Newell, 57. Reporting restrictions on Alisha's case were lifted following that case, and Taylor was handed a whole-life sentence at Leeds Crown Court on June 19. For Alisha's murder, the sentence was 20 years.
Appeal for information
Describing her niece in court, Rachel Lockley said: "She was such a lovely girl, she was giddy and caring. She was also shy and suffered with anxiety and low confidence - this made her, we feel, vulnerable. She would give me hugs and tell me she loved me. She always seemed delicate and younger than her actual age, and you could put her as someone in her teens rather than her 20s."
She added: "One of the last messages I had from her in January 2022 was that she was bidding to get a house and seemed positive about it. She told me she wanted to live in Ashton. She wanted to be near her grandmother and just wanted to be part of her family and belong. She was a loving and kind granddaughter and niece and we will miss her so much."
GMP continues to appeal for information that could lead to Alisha's body being recovered. Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Naismith, from GMP's Major Investigation Team, said: "First and foremost, our thoughts go out to Alisha’s family and friends for what they have been put through, and continue to go through, with their loss of Alisha. We have sadly never recovered her body and there is one person who knows where she is. Ensuring that Alisha receives a dignified and proper burial is something that we will continue to do our best to achieve."
Anyone with information which could finally bring some closure to Alisha's family is urged to contact GMP by calling 101 or using LiveChat online, quoting log number 1689 of February 2, 2022. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
