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wattWhen a pastor told seven-year-old Natasha Walker that if she prayed to God every night, he would take her lost She did this for several months after her sister came home.
“Believe me, you pray very hard every night, but God never brings my sister home,” she told independent.
In 1981, the Lee family passed away their daughter CarterisHer second birthday was celebrated near a military base in Germany, where her father Richard, from Hartlepool, was stationed.
Katrice was at a Naafi supermarket with her mother, Sharon, and her aunt. disappearedthis was the second and final birthday her family celebrated with her.
as independent £165,000 raised start up secure call – a free new service aimed at helping missing children find support and safety, no matter what – and as it continues to raise more funds, we spoke to Ms Walker, who still hopes to see her sister again.
donate here Or text SAFE to 70577 to donate £10 to Missing People – enough for one child to get help.
On the day Carteris disappeared, Ms Walker, then seven, stayed at home with her uncle while her sister, parents and aunt went to the supermarket.
At the checkout, her mother realized she had forgotten the potato chips for Catrice’s birthday and told her aunt to watch the child while she grabbed the chips. Carteris then began to follow her mother.
Ms Walker said: “About 30 seconds later, when they both turned their heads, Carteris had disappeared.”
Her mother began looking around the store and calling for her daughter, but there was no sign of her anywhere.
Ms. Walker’s first memory of her sister’s disappearance was when her father came home and said she was missing. Then she remembered walking down the street and finding her mother screaming. “I had never heard anything like it and I didn’t want to hear it again,” she recalled.
“I just couldn’t understand it because for a seven-year-old like me, if you lost a doll, it would appear.”
Ms. Walker stayed with a neighbor for the next week while her family continued to search for her sister. She added: “I lost my whole family for a week. I got my parents back and now, 44 years later, I’m still waiting to have my sister back.”
That week felt like years to Ms. Walker. When she finally returned, she entered a dark, silent house.
“It would bother me,” she said. “I think that’s the worst thing. We’re always happy and usually when I get off the bus, Katrice is there to greet me.”
The family said the Royal Military Police apologized to them in 2012, acknowledged flaws in the previous investigation and promised to re-investigate the case.
Ms Walker said: “Police insist Catrice managed to get out of her home, walk through a very busy car park, through some bushes, jump into the river and drown.”
As a result, the town’s borders were not closed for at least 48 hours, she said. Police did not speak to store staff, and those who said they saw Carteris in the supermarket were not interviewed over the years. independent Military police have been contacted for comment.
More than four decades later, Carteris’ disappearance still affects her family’s lives. Recently, one woman was even jailed for harassing her family over Carteris’ disappearance, and another was sentenced for sending malicious communications after using social media to impersonate her missing toddler.
“My mum would still be very anxious about me if I left, even with my husband,” Ms Walker said.
When she got married in 2018, she sewed the red buttons from Katrice’s cardigan onto her wedding dress. “In this way, although she is not with me personally, I feel that my heart is close to a part of her.”
“I missed a lot, I missed talking about boyfriends or girlfriends…even arguments, I didn’t even experience that,” she said.
Ms Walker believed her sister had been kidnapped, adding: “In an ideal world I would want her to live a truly happy life… but I also know that may not necessarily be the case. We live in hope because if you don’t have hope, you have nothing. And we’re not prepared to give up.”
Missing Persons Family Support Officer Amy Walker said: “Katrice Lee was just two years old when she disappeared and decades later her family are still living with unanswered questions and deep loss.
“Time does not diminish the need for the truth, nor the pain of not knowing the truth. We stand with Katrice’s family and will continue to support them for as long as they need it – helping them seek information, advocate for change, and ensure this case is never forgotten. Katrice matters and we will be with her family as long as the need arises.”
please Donate now Independent and missing people’s SafeCall campaign has raised £165,000 to create a free national service to help vulnerable children find safety and support.
If you or a loved one are missing and need advice, support and options, text or call the missing people charity on 116 000. It’s free, confidential and non-judgmental. or visit www.missingpeople.org.uk/get-help