The father of a British toddler who vanished in Germany in 1981 has condemned the ‘scammer’ who claims to be her.
Richard Lee’s daughter Katrice vanished on her second birthday more than four decades ago during a shopping trip with her mother Sharon in Paderborn, Germany, where her father was stationed with the British Army.
Despite the best efforts of the British military and the German police, Katrice has never been found.
An American woman named Heather McCord – who lives in Staten Island, New York – is now claiming to be Katrice Lee, insisting she will come to the UK for a DNA test to prove her identity.
Ms McCord set up a GoFundMe page – which has since been taken down – begging the public for help to pay for the trip, which she claimed will confirm her connection to the Lee family.
She wrote on Facebook: ‘I am going to go over there and take all my evidence with me and hand it over to the proper authorities and do a DNA test.’
But Mr Lee, from Hartlepool, said he is certain the claims are fake and that Ms McCord is exploiting the family’s tragedy to scam people into sending her money.
‘It sounds convincing, but she is conning people,’ the 76-year-old veteran said.
Heather McCord (pictured), who lives in Staten Island, New York, claims to be Katrice Lee, who vanished as a toddler 44 years ago
Richard Lee holds up a photograph of his daughter Katrice from before her disappearance more than four decades ago
On Facebook, Ms McCord made a series of claims while claiming to be Katrice, including that she is going to come to the UK for a DNA test to prove her identity
‘My immediate reaction to the page was that I was very angry and I withdrew to try and fathom it out. I’ve dealt with this situation so many times. I become so frustrated.
‘It brings you to tears, and many times, on an evening, I’ve sat in my chair and just cried.’
Ms McCord claimed she has memories of before and after her ‘kidnap’, meaning that if true, she remembers events which happened before she turned two.
She wrote on Facebook: ‘Even the memories that I’ve shared on here of before I was ever kidnapped and the memory of the day I was kidnapped that I’ve shared but no they don’t seem to care about that.
‘Also, a couple days ago I had another memory of me as a child being in an airport with square stone tiling that was tan and I remember I had my head down when I was walking with whoever had me […],’ she added.
But Mr Lee described these claims as a ‘red flag’, considering how young his daughter was when she vanished.
‘Who remembers anything from when they were two? I certainly don’t,’ he told The Sun.
Over the years, the Lee family have heard from a number of people claiming to be Katrice, but DNA tests ruled them out.
Ms McCord, the most recent case, collected a handful of donations after setting up her GoFundMe page before it was taken down, the largest being $132 (£97).
Her claims include her having ‘the same birthmark’ and eye condition as Katrice and knowing who ‘abducted her’, as well as allegations that agencies in the US and UK have pushed her away.
Katrice suffered from strabismus, an eye condition which would have needed two operations to correct. She also had a birthmark on her lower back, resembling a rash.
Ms McCord wrote on Facebook: ‘I have the same eye condition in my left eye and a birthmark in the same spot as she does […].’
British toddler Katrice vanished on her second birthday during a shopping trip with her mother Sharon in Paderborn, Germany
Ms McCord set up a GoFundMe page begging the public for help to pay for a trip to the UK for a DNA test
Her fundraiser added: ‘It’s been 44 years since the disappearance.
‘I want justice and there are many reasons for me to believe I am her.
‘I also remember the day I was kidnapped and who did it. Any help would be very greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance.’
Ms McCord claimed her ‘abduction’ was confirmed to her by ‘a few law enforcement officers’ and that she has the ‘documentation’ to prove it.
This has not convinced Mr Lee, however, who said: ‘Having been on this long journey and dealing with other situations not too dissimilar to this, I spot red flags.
‘One of them immediately was why are the authorities not assisting her? She then says she has to fly to England to give DNA, but these days, all you need to do is go to a facility and get it taken to be sent here.
‘The public have been so supportive to my family, but they may see this as a resolution to my tragedy and a bid to get answers as to where Katrice is.
‘And the scammer, in reality, is pressing all the right buttons to get empathy and is very good at it.’
Despite the ordeal, Mr Lee said he still holds out hope that he will be reunited with his little girl, who will now be 46.
He said: ‘I have become, sadly, an expert in my daughter’s case which was forced on me. I didn’t ask for it.
‘It doesn’t matter what we as a family say to scammers because our goals are totally different.
‘My goal is to get answers about where Katrice is, theirs is to get money. No matter what we say to them, it will never change their approach.
‘It’s something I am prepared to live with, and I’ll continue my fight. I am a father, and I want answers.’
Katrice’s mother, Sharon, and Mr Lee split up in 1989 after their marriage was unable to take the strain of their daughter’s disappearance. Sharon has also been searching desperately for Katrice since her disappearance.
A spokesperson for the Defence Serious Crime Command said: ‘We confirm that we have received information concerning an individual making unfounded claims to be Katrice Lee.
‘We recognise that claims of this nature are extremely distressing for her family. We urge anyone with new information regarding Katrice’s disappearance to contact the DSCC Major Crime Team on 0800 616 888.’
