Lee O’Toole, the brother of missing 13-year-old David Spencer, died without knowing what happened to him, according to statements from devastated family members.
David Spencer and Patrick Warren were last known to have been seen at a petrol station at 12.45am on December 27, 1996. Their bodies have never been found, despite numerous appeals and searches over the years.
Searches and lines of enquiry
Detectives initially treated the boys as runaways and said there was no evidence to suspect they had come to any harm.
In 2003, police announced the arrest of a 37-year-old man in connection with the disappearances. He was later released on bail and has never been charged.
Following a review of the case in 2006, officers interviewed convicted murderer and paedophile Brian Field. Field denied involvement in the boys’ disappearance, while police said he was one line of enquiry in their investigation.
A Channel 4 documentary claimed Field had been seen with David and Patrick in the days before they vanished. After receiving a tip-off following the television show, Lee O’Toole led a dig near a football ground in 2021.
Hundreds of volunteers searched land off Damson Wood Lane near Solihull Moors FC, but no trace of David Spencer or Patrick Warren was found.
Funeral fundraising
A GoFundMe page established to raise money towards Lee O’Toole’s funeral had raised more than £2,600.
Related: Body found during search for missing three-year-old Noah Woods in Suffolk
Source: Metro News
