The Lost Boy

 

The title of this article is the same as a book by a former police detective and criminologist Duncan Staff. It has been adapted into a two-part TV series by the BBC and it concerns the principle remaining mystery of some of the most shocking murders ever committed. Following a number of disappearences in Greater Manchester during the early 1960's the police eventually arrested Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, and to their horror discovered that the couple had been torturing and killing the missing youths on the remote highlands of Saddleworth Moor. Over the years more and more information has come to light, but the dark shadow remains of the fact that the body of the couple's third and youngest victim has never been found. Twelve-year-old Keith Bennett was abducted on the 16th of June 1964 and taken to Saddleworth Moor where he met his cruel fate. Myra Hindley claimed she never knew where Keith was buried and Brady refused to tell anybody. Both killers are now dead. The fence along the roadside by the place the murderers used as a killing ground is a touching sight. To the present day it is covered with cards, gifts and other tributes left by local people, including Keith's mother Winnie whose only ambition was to give her son a proper funeral. She died in 2012 without achieving that. The search for the bodies has only been seriously restarted once, in 1987 because Brady himself agreeed to help the police find the remains of sixteen-year-old Pauline Reade which was accomplished. Greater Manchester Police will probably not try again unless they have an "X marks the spot", a pinpointed location. Critics have argued that Keith could be found if the police were willing to carry out a broad sweep of the entire area using ground penetrating radar, satellites and other sophisticated technology, but this is half a dozen square miles and it would take several years, costing millions of pounds; and they don't consider committing the funds worthwhile. Healing the hearts of ordinary people has never been high on the government's priority list. However, a new clue has emerged. Brady wrote an unpublished autobiography called Dark Light, a reference to his occult beliefs. The investigators have half of the manuscript and it includes detailed descriptions of the shallow grave sites of the first two children; but frustratringly the other half is missing. Staff and his team believe that Brady's law firm have a copy of the entire book in their archives, but they are refusing permission to release it, for reasons they never explain. The book could tell us where Keith is buried. He could be found, given a decent burial and this might bring some peace to his surviving relatives. Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002fxrd/the-moors-murders-a-search-for-justice. This programme includes something I've never heard before, a recording of Ian Brady's voice. He has an educated Scottish accent but is very foul mouthed. His psychiatrist described him as highly intelligent. He sounds emotionally cold, a true psychopath. He has never expressed remorse for his evil action; in fact he seems to relish it as some kind of victory or accomplishment. Duncan Staff said finding Keith Bennett will mean Brady and Hindley never truly won. I really hope they get hold of the rest of Dark Light and find Keith.
See here for more information: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2013/06/demonic-moors-murderers.html.