Graveyard Confessions: The Disappearance of Lee Boxell

[00:00:00] The case featured in this episode has been researched using police records, court documents, witness statements, and the news. Listener discretion is advised. All parties mentioned are innocent until proven guilty, and all opinions are my own.

[00:00:34] Hey everyone, my name is Nikki Young, and this is Serial Napper, the true crime podcast for naps. I'm back with another true crime story to lull you to sleep, or perhaps to give you nightmares. In the quiet suburbs of South London, 15-year-old Lee Boxell was known for his infectious smile and warm personality.

[00:00:56] On a Saturday morning in 1988, he left home, with his parents thinking he was just off to a football match, unaware that they would never see their son again. Lee was last seen heading to Sutton Town Centre to meet a friend, but after that, he vanished without a trace. Years passed, and the search for Lee seemed to go cold. But then, a chilling lead emerged.

[00:01:22] A witness recalled seeing Lee at an unofficial youth club known as The Shed, tucked away at St. Dunstan's Church in nearby Cheam. As the investigation deepened, the police uncovered a disturbing secret. A network of pedophiles who had been operating in the area at the time of Lee's disappearance, one of whom ran this youth club.

[00:01:45] For Lee's family, now decades removed from that fateful day, the answers remain elusive. His parents, aging and heartbroken, they've waited more than 30 years without closure. The one thing that they still yearn for is to know the truth. Is Lee still out there? Or was he taken from them in the most tragic way imaginable? So, dim the lights, put your phone down, and listen to the story of Lee Boxall,

[00:02:15] a teenager who vanished without a trace and the relentless quest for answers that has haunted a family for more than three decades. So, let's jump right in. Lee Boxall was born on February 15th, 1973 to his parents Peter and Christine. He was their first child and quickly became the love of their lives.

[00:02:37] Living in Southeast England, they quickly expanded their family with the arrival of a baby girl, Lindsay, creating the perfect family unit. From the beginning, Lee was a bright and compassionate boy, a child who was known for his caring nature and his love for football. Growing up in Cheem, it didn't take long for Leo to fall head over heels for the game. He became a passionate supporter of Sutton United, the local team,

[00:03:06] though his love for football extended beyond just one club. Every weekend, you'd find him at a different match, no matter the team, because for Lee, football wasn't just a sport, it was a way of life. Lee wasn't just known for his love of football. He was sensitive, kind, and trusted by all who knew him. As he grew, his natural ability to connect with people earned him a tight-knit group of friends. His dad would say he was okay in school.

[00:03:36] He got all right grades, but he had good manners and a strong work ethic. Those who were closest to Lee knew him as someone who wasn't always street smart, someone who might have been a little too trusting, especially as he entered his teen years. By 1988, Lee was 15. His days followed a predictable rhythm. School during the week, football on the weekends, and time spent with his friends.

[00:04:04] He was responsible, reliable, and respectful, traits that his parents, Peter and Christine, trusted completely. They never had any reason to worry about Lee staying out too late, and if his plans ever changed, he always made sure to call home using the nearest payphone to check in. His father, Peter, would say, quote, Lee was our first child. His birth was a dream come true for me. I couldn't wait to get home from work to spend time with him.

[00:04:33] He was a really good kid. Average at school, but with some really good friends. He was interested in a girl who lived nearby, and would often take a neighbor's dog for a walk as an excuse to meet her. He loved music. I took him to see Shaken Stevens in concert once, which he absolutely loved. He was always phoning the radio stations to enter competitions about pop music.

[00:04:57] Taping songs he liked off the radio, he was quiet, well-behaved, considerate, sensitive, possibly too trusting, and not streetwise. I miss him. Lee was everything a parent could hope for. Good-mannered, trustworthy, and full of promise. His bedroom, the same one he'd occupied since childhood, remains untouched by his parents to this day, exactly as it was when they last saw him.

[00:05:27] But in 1988, that promise was abruptly shattered. And in the years that followed, Lee would disappear without a trace, leaving behind a family desperate for answers. On the morning of September 10th, 1988, the Boxall family began their day just like any other. Lee's parents, Peter and Christine, woke up early, preparing for the day ahead. Christine was heading out to visit with her mother, while Peter was going to be grabbing some groceries.

[00:05:57] Lee's 13-year-old sister, Lindsay, had plans to hang out with a friend, while 15-year-old Lee slept in that morning. Eventually, he emerged from his room still in his pajamas and settled into his favorite armchair in the living room. Before Peter left for the local supermarket, he spoke briefly with Lee about his plans. The night before, he had heard Lee on the phone with a friend, discussing football, but it wasn't a solid plan, just a casual chat.

[00:06:26] Lee, still half asleep, didn't offer much in the way of details, so Peter didn't really push him. He simply said goodbye to his son and left the house. Now, at the time, Sutton United, Lee's local football team, they were playing an away game in Lancashire, a 230-mile journey from Cheam, far too distant for a 15-year-old to travel for a match on his own.

[00:06:50] But there was another game on that day, much closer to home, at Selhurst Park in Croydon, only a short distance away. The weather was warm, the temperatures reaching 20 degrees, and it would have been typical for Lee to venture out whether it was to watch a game or to hang out with friends. It's believed that Lee left the family home around 10.30 a.m. that morning.

[00:07:13] Now, things are a bit murky when it comes to specific details because, again, this was a day like any other, and no one expected for tragedy to strike. What we do know is that Lee walked the short distance to Sutton High Street, where he met up with a friend around 11 a.m. The pair spent the next couple of hours together, chatting, window shopping, going to an arcade, and just enjoying each other's company.

[00:07:41] At around 1 p.m., the two friends parted ways. Before they said goodbye, Lee mentioned that he might head over to watch the football game, but it wasn't a definite plan. Around 2.20 p.m., a witness saw Lee standing outside the Tesco supermarket on Sutton High Street. The sighting seemed to confirm that Lee likely had not gone to the football match. The match kicked off at 3 p.m., but it wasn't just a quick trip.

[00:08:09] The train journey to the stadium alone took about half an hour. That would have left Lee with only about 10 minutes to catch the train, walk from the station to the stadium, and then find his seat before the game began. The timing simply didn't add up, so one can assume he likely never went to the game. The sighting at the Tesco supermarket would be the last confirmed sighting of Lee Boxall.

[00:08:36] Normally, Lee would return home around dinner time, but on this night, he did not. As the hours passed, Lee's family began to grow concerned. It wasn't like him to go so long without at least contacting them. Lee was a pretty responsible and thoughtful teenager, always checking in if plans changed. His parents, Peter and Christine, held out hope that Lee was simply delayed and would walk through the door at any minute.

[00:09:03] But as time dragged on, they couldn't shake the growing sense that something was wrong. Peter and Christine quickly began calling every friend and family member that they could think of, hoping someone might have seen Lee. Yet, every call came back with the same result. No one had seen him. Fearing the worst, they expanded their search to local hospitals, convinced that Lee might have been injured and unable to reach out.

[00:09:31] But those calls, too, returned with nothing. The fear and uncertainty continued to mount. What had happened to their son? Why hadn't he come home? With no other options left, Peter and Christine called the police. But instead of the urgent response that they had hoped for, they were met with skepticism. The officers didn't seem overly concerned. They were brushing it off as though Lee was just another rebellious teenager.

[00:09:59] The assumption was that he would turn up and they shouldn't worry too much about it. By the following morning, when Lee still had not returned home, they decided that they needed to call the police once again because this was serious. They told them about the football game, about all of Lee's favorite hangout spots, and the search was on.

[00:10:20] A be on the lookout, Bolo alert was issued for the missing teenager, who was described as 5'6", with light brown hair, and last seen wearing a white Flintstones t-shirt, black jeans, and suede shoes. It didn't appear to investigators that Lee had run away. His parents were kind of overprotective, especially his mother, so they thought at first that maybe that had caused some tension, but he wasn't a troubled teenager.

[00:10:48] He had what appeared to be a very happy home life and great friends. There weren't any recent conflicts or arguments between Lee and his family, nothing to indicate that he had decided to disappear all on his own. At first, they believed that Lee had gone missing from the football game. His parents assumed that that's where he likely would have headed after meeting up with his friend at the mall.

[00:11:12] They appealed for any witnesses who may have seen him at the game, but no one came forward with any information. Until, a few days later, when they learned about that 2.20pm sighting at the Tesco supermarket. This detail would cause them to have to go right back to square one. Because if he didn't go to the game, where did he go? As the days turned into weeks, Lee Boxall's disappearance captured the attention of the public.

[00:11:40] His case was featured on Crime Watch, and his face appeared on posters, even on milk cartons. Desperate efforts to bring attention to a missing teenager who seemed to have vanished without a trace. In the days following Lee's disappearance, the police received a few leads. One tip came in that suggested that Lee might have been spotted at Sutton train station, seen in the company of a man. But there was one major issue.

[00:12:09] No CCTV footage from the time could confirm the sighting, because there weren't any cameras set up at the station at the time. Without solid evidence, the police continued to pursue this lead, though it never fully panned out. Another possible sighting came soon after. This time, a report of Lee walking in the opposite direction, towards home. But this sighting was dismissed by detectives, and they chose to focus on the train station theory.

[00:12:37] A theory that Lee's parents now believe was false. Investigators started to wonder if there might be a connection between Lee's case and another young boy who had gone missing just two years prior. 16-year-old Kevin Hicks. The two boys lived just seven miles apart, and police began to explore the chilling possibility that the disappearances of Kevin Hicks and Lee Boxall were connected. Perhaps the work of the same person.

[00:13:07] It was March 2nd, 1986, a normal day for Kevin Hicks. He spent the afternoon at home with his family in Addiscombe, Croydon, an area just a short distance from London. Around 8.30pm, Kevin told his mom that he needed to pop out to go to the local shop. He needed to buy eggs for his home economics exam, which was scheduled for the next day.

[00:13:30] He left his house with just one British pound in his pocket, and he walked a few minutes down the road to Sparings Community Shop on Lower Addiscombe Road. Kevin was last seen by someone who knew him around 10pm walking down Shirley Road, just a short distance from home. It seemed like he was on his way back, but he never made it. Despite an extensive search and multiple leads, Kevin's fate remains a mystery.

[00:13:59] So was there a connection between Lee's disappearance and Kevin's case? One that had gone unsolved for years? The police didn't know, but they weren't able to uncover any evidence that might link the two. It's time for a quick break and a word from tonight's sponsors. Hang on, I'll be back before you know it. Are you feeling off-balance thanks to hormonal changes? You are not alone.

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[00:15:55] That's happymammoth.com. And use the code SERIALNAPPER for 15% off today. Now back to our story. As weeks turned into months and then years, the case grew cold. The trail had vanished and Lee's family was left with nothing but unanswered questions.

[00:16:17] But approximately a year after Lee's disappearance, his father Peter received an unexpected call from a stranger claiming to have seen Lee working at a market in Paravale, a town in West London. Hope sparked in Peter's heart as he rushed to the location, only to find that the boy, while bearing an uncanny resemblance to Lee, was just not his son. The sighting turned out to be another false lead.

[00:16:45] Lee's case, like so many others, seemed to be slipping through the cracks no closer to a resolution. But then something kind of strange happens. In 1990, investigators became aware of a potentially crucial link to Lee's case. One that would bring them face-to-face with a chilling confession and a graveyard full of questions. It all started with an off-duty police officer who had attended a party one evening.

[00:17:11] Among the guests was a male bank worker, someone who the officer had never met before. The two struck up a conversation, and that's when the man made an unexpected and horrifying confession. The banker casually told the officer that he and others had beaten up and killed a boy. He even went as far as to say that they had buried the boy's body in St. Dunstan's church graveyard. The officer was stunned.

[00:17:40] He quickly realized that the boy the man was referring to could be Lee Boxall, who had gone missing two years earlier. Alarmed, the officer reported this back to the police, and to the banker was brought in for questioning. But when confronted, the man denied everything. He claimed that he had been lying, that his story was a fabrication. He denied any knowledge of Lee Boxall's disappearance or the gruesome tale he had so casually shared.

[00:18:10] It's not like this is the first time that's ever happened. Some people tell these crazy, disgusting stories just for attention, which doesn't make any sense to me, because obviously if you're telling this story to someone who has a shred, an ounce of empathy, they're going to go to the police. But the story didn't end there. A co-worker of the banker would later come forward. She revealed that the man had boasted to her as well.

[00:18:35] Not only had he spoken about the murder, but he had also told her explicitly that he knew exactly where Lee's body was buried, in the very graveyard the banker had mentioned, St. Dunstan's. With this new information, investigators decided to act. They took the co-worker to St. Dunstan's graveyard in a desperate attempt to uncover the truth.

[00:18:58] The man had been so specific in his claims that surely the graveyard held the key to finally solving the mystery. They hoped that by visiting the site, they might identify the grave that the banker had spoken of, the place where Lee's body was supposedly hidden. But despite the search, there was no breakthrough. The graveyard, like so many other dead ends in this case, offered no answers.

[00:19:26] The officers couldn't find the grave that matched the banker's description. Without any new evidence or further clues, the investigation ground to a halt. For decades, the search for Lee seemed hopeless, the case stagnant with no clues or developments to offer his family any hope. Then, in 2013, after 25 long years, the Metropolitan Police decided they would reopen the case with a fresh set of eyes.

[00:19:55] This time, the investigation centered around Lee's connection to an unofficial youth club called The Shed. This club, which had been run by a man named William Lambert, a grave digger, operated out of the churchyard at St. Dunstan's in Cheam. Yes, St. Dunstan's, the same location where there were rumors of a group of men killing and burying Lee Boxall.

[00:20:19] The investigation into The Shed would bring a chilling new angle to the case, one that would raise even more disturbing questions about what had happened to Lee Boxall. In 2011, William Lambert, then 75 years old, was jailed for 11 years after being convicted of sexually assaulting girls aged between 11 and 15 at The Shed, this youth club that was located in an outbuilding at St. Dunstan's Church.

[00:20:47] This club was notorious for its lax rules, allowing underage drinking and smoking. It became a place where young girls were subjected to inappropriate advances and predatory behavior. The crimes that William Lambert committed at The Shed were incredibly disturbing.

[00:21:07] According to court documents, he claimed that he was a warlock and he had special powers that could be passed on to his victims through sexually assaulting them, through raping them. One of the victims identified was abused by Lambert on top of a tombstone and was told that, after he had finished raping her, she would get powers from the, quote, black floating monk, a spirit that he said haunted the church.

[00:21:34] Another young victim reportedly confided in Lambert that she was worried she might be pregnant and she was terrified to tell her parents. So Lambert told her, no problem, if she had sex with him, she'd no longer be pregnant and all of her issues would just disappear. Lambert's victims were very young and naive, between the ages of just 11 and 15 years old. And they believed what he was telling them.

[00:22:01] Some of the victims believed that by having him sexually abuse them, they would have better handwriting, they would get better grades in school. Former attendees described how, upon entering the shed, they were bombarded with creepy questions from older men. One survivor recounted being asked if she was a virgin by those running the club. These are grown men running the club, by the way. The atmosphere was toxic, fostering an environment where abuse could thrive.

[00:22:29] Investigators began to wonder if Lee might have been at the youth club on the day that he went missing, and if perhaps he had seen too much. Maybe he had witnessed someone being abused and was killed for trying to put a stop to it. Maybe they didn't want this abuse getting out to the public. It was a known fact that Lee had visited the club from time to time, so it wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility that this could have happened.

[00:22:57] A man who went to school with Lee shared that he got the sense that boys weren't exactly welcome at this shed, and that it was predominantly frequented by young girls. He remembered seeing a mattress on the floor in the back of the shed. What it was for, he wasn't sure, but the suggestion was ominous. Lee's father, Peter, agreed with the police that their theory could be possible, saying,

[00:23:31] Later on, it would be learned that two days after Lee disappeared, one unnamed victim, who was just a young girl at the time, reported that she went to the shed with several adult men. While there, they told her blatantly that Lee was not going to be seen again. He was dead and buried in the area. When investigators questioned William Lambert behind bars while he was serving his 11-year sentence,

[00:23:59] he denied knowing anything about Lee's disappearance. But he wasn't exactly a reputable source, so they decided to excavate the churchyard, believing that Lee may have been killed and buried there. The operation would cost 1 million British pounds, and it was said to be one of the country's biggest archaeological digs, particularly because they had to be mindful of where they were digging to not disturb others' graves unnecessarily.

[00:24:27] I've read reports that state that the graves themselves were not allowed to be dug up for obvious reasons, meaning only the channels between graves were able to be dug up, so if Lee's body had been buried alongside another body in a grave, it would be pretty much impossible to uncover. And unfortunately, there was nothing found during the excavation, and they were no closer to finding out what had happened to Lee Boxall.

[00:24:54] In 2014, three men aged 78, 52, and 41 were arrested and brought in for questioning. They were suspected of not just Lee's murder, but also conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and indecency with children. But the arrests didn't end there. A 42-year-old woman was also arrested, accused of being involved in the same conspiracy. This group of individuals were all tied to The Shed,

[00:25:23] possibly named by victims who recognized them as adults who worked at the youth club during the years that Lee was there. Their roles in the club, combined with the disturbing nature of the charges, gave investigators hope that they were one step closer to uncovering the truth. But the hopes for justice were short-lived. After being questioned, all four suspects were released without charges. With no formal charges brought against them,

[00:25:51] the investigation seemed to stall once again. Yet, despite the setbacks, police made it clear to the media that they were not giving up on the search for the truth. They wanted to figure out exactly what had happened at The Shed, the notorious youth club where secrets were buried and lives were shattered. The Shed was more than just a youth club. It was a place that would become synonymous with abuse, manipulation, and tragedy.

[00:26:20] It was where Lee Boxall had possibly crossed paths with people who would play a part in his disappearance. And yet, despite all the arrests and the mounting evidence, the truth remained elusive. What exactly happened behind the doors of The Shed? Who knew what was going on and who failed to step in? And most chilling of all, did the people involved with The Shed play a role in Lee's disappearance?

[00:26:48] It's been over three decades since Lee Boxall vanished. And still, his family holds onto glimmer of hope that the truth will someday come to light. He would have just turned 51 years old last week if he were still alive today. Despite the years of searching, the unanswered questions, and the absence of solid evidence, his parents, Peter and Christine, refused to let go. Their grief is a constant presence,

[00:27:14] but it's their unwavering desire to know what happened to their son that keeps them going. Lee's room remains exactly as it was on the day that he disappeared. The family hasn't changed a thing. As his mother Christine put it, We've lived here since the house was built, and because Lee went missing from here, we just couldn't bear to move in case Lee came back. I don't think that's going to happen now, but I just couldn't think of moving now.

[00:27:42] For Peter and Christine, it's not just about a house. It's about holding on to the last piece of their son, a piece of a life that was stolen away far too soon. As the investigation continues, the truth remains frustratingly out of reach. There is still so much to uncover. The police may be investigating Lee's disappearance as a missing persons case, but there is little evidence to suggest that he's still alive.

[00:28:10] Yet his family refuses to give up on him, and neither should we. Lee's parents don't want much. They simply want to know what happened to their son more than anything else. They've pleaded with the public to come forward with any information, no matter how small. There is a reward of up to £20,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Lee's suspected murder.

[00:28:36] If you have any details, no matter how insignificant they may seem, you can reach out to Crime Stoppers anonymously at 0800-555-111. You can also go to their website to provide information online. We couldn't bear to move, and I've kept Lee's room more or less as it was, in the hope that he would come home. But that hope is diminishing now as years go by. And as I'm getting older and Lee's mum's getting older,

[00:29:08] it's our dying wish that somebody would come forward and tell us what happened to Lee, and maybe we could find him. And if he has been killed, which we think he has, then we could bury him and put him to rest. So many years have passed, but for Lee's family, the search for the truth will never stop. The pain of not knowing where their son is or what happened to him is a weight that they carry every day. But they hold on to the hope that, one day, someone will come forward.

[00:29:38] Someone who holds the key to unlocking the mystery of Lee Boxall's disappearance. That's it for me tonight. If you want to reach out, you can find me on Facebook at Serial Napper. You can find my audio on Apple or Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. I post all of my episodes in video format over on YouTube, so go check it out. And if you're watching on YouTube, I would love if you can give me a thumbs up and subscribe. Every little bit helps.

[00:30:06] I also have a Patreon. If you'd like to get your Serial Napper episodes early and ad-free, go to patreon.com slash Serial Napper. Until next time, sweet dreams, stay kind, especially in the comments. Bye.