An American woman asserts that she is the long-lost missing daughter of a British family and plans to travel 3,500 miles to undergo a DNA test. Heather McCord, accused of being a scam artist by ex-sergeant major Richard Lee, whose daughter Katrice Lee went missing in Paderborn, Germany, in 1981, on her second birthday, initiated a GoFundMe campaign to finance her trip to prove her connection to the Lee family. Despite Richard dismissing her claim as fraudulent and criticizing her for exploiting the family’s tragedy for personal gain, McCord remains determined to present her evidence and undergo the DNA test, stating her intentions on Facebook.
Richard’s daughter, Natasha Walker, discovered the GoFundMe page and expressed anger at the attempted deception, highlighting the emotional toll on the family. Richard emphasized the implausibility of McCord’s story, particularly her recollection of being trafficked as a two-year-old, questioning the validity of her claims. McCord, in a TikTok video from November, alleged she was kidnapped as a child and vividly described the traumatic experience, claiming to have fragmented memories of the event.
Furthermore, McCord, citing a physical condition called xoforia, where one eye drifts outward, as evidence of her identity as Katrice, faced scrutiny as Richard’s daughter had a different eye condition requiring corrective surgery. Despite McCord’s assertions of assistance from UK officials and the initial funds raised through her campaign before its removal, doubts persist regarding her authenticity. Responding to accusations of fraud, McCord expressed her genuine desire to uncover her true identity and assured that if proven not to be Katrice, she would cease contact with the family.
The Lee family has encountered multiple false claims regarding Katrice’s disappearance over the years, with a spokesperson from the Defence Serious Crime Command confirming that an individual had made baseless assertions about being Katrice. The DSCC Major Crime Team encouraged anyone with credible information about Katrice Lee’s disappearance to contact them promptly.