The Unsolved Disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh

The Disappearance

Suzy Lamplugh was a 25-year-old estate agent; working in Fulham, London.

On the 28th July 1986, Suzy left her office at around 12:30 pm, to get to an appointment at 12:45 pm. The appointment was to show a potential client around a house, known only as ‘Mr. Kipper’ from what was found in Suzy’s diary.

After two hours, Suzy’s manager noticed she had not returned, which was said to be unlike her. His initial thought was that she may have had a family emergency, and been unable to contact the office regarding her return. He then rang Diana; Suzy’s mother, however, Diana said she had not seen or heard from her daughter that day.

Witnesses claim to have seen Suzy at the property, around 12:50 pm, joined by a man assumed to be Kipper at 1 pm.

‘Mr. Kipper’ was described as being very well dressed; and clutching a bottle of champagne, which many thought was odd for a house viewing

In addition to this, some witnesses describe the two engaging in a heated conversation, before getting into Suzy’s car together and driving away.

This car was found that night at 10 pm, around a mile and a half away from the property. Suzy’s purse was discovered in the car, but her keys were missing. There was no sign of damage or a struggle in the car, and the only fingerprints identified belonged to Suzy herself.

At the time, the case caused a media frenzy, and this resulted in over twenty-one thousand tips being given to the police, none of which were able to solve the disappearance.

Suzy Lamplugh was legally declared dead in 1994, presumed to be murdered, and as of the time of writing (2021), her body has not been found.

John Cannan

At the time of the disappearance in July 1986, John Cannan resided in a day-release London prison, coming to the end of a sentence he received for rape and robbery.

This sentence allowed him to essentially be a ‘free man’ during the day, so long as he returned to the prison to stay overnight. He was described as very charming by those that met him and had access to expensive cars which he used to frequent lavish wine bars. This gave the illusion that he was a rich and successful man, despite having to return to the prison each night.

Before prison, Cannan was a successful car salesman, and married the future mother of his child in 1974. In 1980, his first child was born, and it was around this time that Cannan left his wife for a younger woman.

The woman in question admitted that she attempted to leave Cannan on numerous occasions, however, he would become violent and abusive. Thankfully, the two did eventually part, though this resulted in Cannan having a string of short-lived relationships in which he was described as physically abusive.

In 1981, John Cannan was caught raping a woman and began an 8-year prison sentence in Fulham.

Before his arrest, Birmingham police were in the process of trying to solve a series of cases in which a male suspect would go to ‘for sale’ houses, and attack female owners when they opened the door.

These attacks were never formally linked to John Cannan, however many assume the two could be tied; due to how Suzy disappeared, and Cannan’s rape charges.

Due to the sheer amount of leads and tips from the public, it took the Police over a year to look into John Cannan, and find that he looked extremely similar to all descriptions and sketches of ‘Mr. Kipper’

In addition to the sketches, Suzy’s family claimed that she was being stalked before her disappearance, possibly by Cannan. The police theorized that John and Suzy were in a relationship around the time of her disappearance, and that Suzy had plans to leave him. This led to Cannan adopting the fake alias of Kipper to fool her and get to her on her own, possibly because she was avoiding him.

Cannan’s rape sentence was shortened and he was freed on the 25th July 1986, which was only three days before Suzy’s disappearance. This makes many believe he was involved, as he had the time to execute the ‘perfect murder’, without having to abide by his previous prison curfew.

Cannan’s Later Crimes

In 1987, one year after Suzy’s disappearance, Cannan submitted a video profile for a dating agency. The suitor of the agency who reviewed the video described him as extremely humorous and attractive and admitted she did quite like him, though he came across as fairly overconfident and aggressive.

Within a few days of his profile being approved, a woman named Shirley Banks was reported missing.

Three weeks later, and eighty miles from where he lived, Cannan was arrested again, for robbing and raping two women in a clothes store.

Cannan was carrying a briefcase at the time, and when it was seized by police, they found a scrap of paper which turned out to be part of the tax disk from Shirley Banks’ car.

Six months after her initial disappearance, Banks’ body was found in a wooded area in Somerset. Her skull had been violently crushed with a rock after she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted by Cannan.

When Cannan abducted Banks, he held her hostage in his apartment for approximately 18 hours, before driving her to Somerset in his vehicle. He kept hold of Bank’s car, keeping it in his garage and even changing the license plate

Cannan was sentenced to life in prison in HMP Full Sutton, York, and will be eligible for parole in 2023.

The Hunt for Suzy’s Body

In 2001, a former girlfriend of John Cannan came forward to the police after recalling a ‘bizarre conversation she had experienced with him. The two were allegedly driving when Cannan brought up Suzy’s disappearance out of the blue. The couple discussed the case for a short while, before Cannan abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Cannan gestured out of the window, towards Norton barracks, a former military base situated in Worcestershire, and claimed that this was where Suzy was buried.

The site was thoroughly searched, though this eventually proved unsuccessful.

In 2002 a fellow prisoner confided in the police that Cannan claimed to have buried Suzy’s body under the patio of his mother’s house in Sutton Coldfield. The patio was dug up, and again in 2018, however, the search proved futile in both cases, as nothing relating to the case was unearthed.

The Current State of the Investigation.

Whilst imprisoned, Cannan has agreed that ‘it could look as though Suzy’s disappearance was linked to [him], but has refused to comment further on the case.

Former friends and cellmates of Cannan have revealed that he was referred to as ‘Kipper’ in his younger days, leading many to believe he used this as an alias to book a house viewing with Suzy.

A family member of Cannan’s has theorized that it was indeed John who committed the crime, but is refusing to confess until his mother passes away. Cannan’s mother has suffered for a while with dementia, and Cannan’s family believes he is waiting for her death before admitting to the crime in order to avoid causing any detriment to her and her fragile health.

In terms of Suzy’s family; her parents set up the Suzy Lamplugh Trust within weeks of her disappearance. This trust aims to raise awareness of personal safety, mainly aimed towards women, as well as offering counseling and support resources to victims of stalking, and families of missing people.

Unfortunately, Diana Lamplugh passed away in 2011, aged 75, due to a stroke. In 2018, Suzy’s father Paul also passed away at the age of 87, neither parent ever finding out what truly happened to their daughter.