The Vanishing of Suzy Lamplugh: 38 Years Without Answers

On July 28, 1986, Suzy Lamplugh walked out of her office at Sturgis and Sons Real Estate in London and disappeared into one of Britain's most enduring mysteries. The 25-year-old British real estate agent was in the middle of an ordinary workday when she left to attend what should have been a routine client appointment. She would never be found.

Lamplugh's diary contained a single entry for that fateful day: a 12:45 PM meeting with "Mr Kipper" at 37 Shorrolds Road in Fulham. She told her colleagues she was heading out to show the property. The appointment was the last thing anyone knew about her movements.

Within hours of her failure to return, Lamplugh was reported missing. Police discovered her company car abandoned approximately one mile from her office. The keys were gone. Her purse remained inside the vehicle—a detail that suggested her disappearance was not voluntary. The abandoned car and missing keys painted a troubling picture: Lamplugh had likely been taken against her will.

What happened next was a painstaking investigation that ultimately led nowhere. Police worked the case intensively at first, but the absence of a crime scene, physical evidence, or witnesses to work from proved insurmountable. The mystery of "Mr Kipper" was never solved. No one came forward to claim the appointment. No one matching that name could be identified. The lead evaporated as quickly as Lamplugh herself had.

After approximately one year of investigation, police closed the case without charges or conclusive findings. For eight years, Lamplugh remained technically missing rather than deceased. In 1994, she was officially declared dead, though her remains were never recovered and no body was ever found.