Disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh
London · United Kingdom · 1986
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Suzy Lamplugh, a 25-year-old estate agent, left her Fulham office in south-west London on 28 Jul 1986 for an appointment with a client recorded as 'Mr Kipper' and was never seen again. She was later legally declared dead, presumed murdered; her body has never been found and no one has been charged. In 2002 the Met publicly named its prime suspect after prosecutors found insufficient evidence to charge. In July 2026, marking the 40th anniversary, police said the inquiry will move to an inactive phase in a year's time if remaining leads produce nothing.
At a glance
No suspect publicly identified
None filed
No court dates are recorded yet — courts do not always announce dates in advance.
Timeline· 6 entries
A dated record of reported developments and proceedings.
28 Jul 1986 · Monday
Disappearance, investigation event
Suzy Lamplugh leaves her Fulham office for a client appointment and is not seen again
5 Nov 2002 · Tuesday
Update, investigation event
Met names prime suspect John Cannan after prosecution counsel rules evidence insufficient to charge; no charge brought
29 Oct 2018 · Monday
Update, investigation event
Met and West Midlands Police search a Sutton Coldfield garden; search ends with no evidence recovered
3 Jul 2019 · Wednesday
Update, investigation event
Met searches farmland at Drakes Broughton, Worcestershire; search concludes with no evidence found
6 Nov 2024 · Wednesday
Update, investigation event
Prime suspect John Cannan dies in prison; Met confirms investigation into disappearance remains open
28 Jul 2026 · Tuesday
Update, investigation event
Met marks 40th anniversary of disappearance; inquiry to move to inactive phase in ~1 year
Coverage· 5 entries
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2021
BookDavid Videcette2021Independent reinvestigation by a former Scotland Yard detective; disputes the police's identification of their prime suspect.
1 Jul 2021
Podcast seriesBBC Sounds1 Jul 202116 Dec 2020
DocumentaryChannel 516 Dec 20201988
The Lamplugh family objected to this book on publication, citing inaccuracy.
The Profiler with Kerry Daynes
Podcast · 2 episodes about this case
21 Jul 2026
21 Jul 202614 Jul 2026
14 Jul 2026For those of us who grew up in the '80s, which actually doesn't feel that long ago, it's incredible to remember what we didn't have back then. There was no CCTV, no cameras for ANPR, automatic number plate recognition, no doorbell cams, and no mobile phones. So when somebody went missing, there was no digital trace. The police had to rely on old-fashioned searches for physical clues, as well as appeals.
Excerpt from The Profiler with Kerry Daynes
Third-party material, quoted verbatim.
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