Heather McCord
Heather McCord, the latest claimant to be the missing toddler from over 40 years ago, flies to London for a DNA test Facebook / Heather McCord

Ever since two-year-old Katrice Lee disappeared more than four decades ago, the family she left behind had faced a series of bogus claims from people insisting they were the missing toddler. A woman from Staten Island, New York named Heather McCord is the latest person to come forward claiming she could be Katrice Lee.

Heather McCord has recently flown to London after insisting she should be given a DNA test. According to reports, British military investigators had advised that any claim should first be handled through American authorities, but McCord still travelled all the way to the United Kingdom to pursue DNA testing.

New Claim Reopens Old Wounds

McCord reportedly raised a small amount of money by setting up a GoFundMe to help pay for the trip and has said she believes she was abducted as a child. She pointed to what she considers similarities between herself and Katrice, including eye-related medical issues and a birthmark.

On Facebook, Heather posted a confirmation of her plans to fly to the UK despite being advised against it. She wrote, 'I am going over there and I am going to do the DNA test and hand over all the evidence I have weather people like it or not.'

However, for Richard Lee, McCord's claim is far from being a hopeful breakthrough for the case of his missing daughter. Instead, he views it as another exhausting chapter in a long series of alleged impostors. Richard has publicly questioned the credibility of McCord's story and said repeated false claims divert attention away from genuine efforts to find his daughter.

'My initial reaction was very angry, and if I could've put my hands round their neck to express my anger I would've done,' Richard told The Sun. He added that her story may sound legitimate to some, but the inconsistencies in her accounts say otherwise. 'My initial reaction was very angry, and if I could've put my hands round their neck to express my anger I would've done," he said, adding that she'd put a "very clever story together,' Richard said.

The Lee Family's History with False Leads

The Lee family is not dealing with this situation for the first time. Over the years, several people have contacted them claiming to be the missing Katrice, and some cases have ended in criminal proceedings after relatives received distressing messages and harassment online.

In 2019, 40-year-old Heidi Robinson reached out to the family claiming to be Katrice. Her claim ended in an 18-week jail sentence over a malicious communications offence. In 2013, another woman named Donna Wright admitted targeting Katrice's family with offensive messages.

After a negative DNA test, Wright reportedly continued to harass the family by persistently messaging the Facebook page set up particularly to find Katrice.

These experiences have left the family deeply cautious whenever a new person emerges with a dramatic story, claiming to be their missing family member. What might look to outsiders like a potential breakthrough can, for relatives, feel like reopening a wound that never truly healed. 'There is no dignity in what they've been doing,' Richard said.

'My family is still under attack from individuals who claim to be Katrice, knowing that they are not. I believe that it is harassment. Every time it happens it diverts attention away from the search for my daughter,' he added.

Waiting for the DNA Result

British Military Police confirmed that the American claimant arrived in London and was provided with a DNA test. Reports indicate she has since returned to the United States and is now awaiting the results.

For the Lee family, the wait is familiar territory. Every new claim brings a brief moment when the impossible seems imaginable, followed by the fear that hopes will once again collapse under scrutiny.

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