BROTHER OF ‘MILK CARTON KID’ DIES AT 39 AFTER SPENDING DECADES SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

Lee O’Toole, the younger brother of one of Britain’s most enduring missing-child mysteries, has died at the age of 39 — without ever learning what happened to his brother.

Lee was just nine years old when his brother, David Spencer, 13, disappeared alongside his friend Patrick “Paddy” Warren, 11, in Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, on Boxing Day in 1996.

For almost three decades, Lee refused to give up the search.

He became one of the most persistent voices calling for answers about the boys, taking part in searches, speaking publicly about the case and helping organize efforts to locate them.

Lee died on September 16, 2026, according to tributes from those close to the family.

THE BOYS WHO BECAME KNOWN AS THE “MILK CARTON KIDS”

David and Paddy disappeared after spending the evening together in Chelmsley Wood.

The pair were last seen at a petrol station shortly after midnight. Patrick was riding a new red bicycle he had received for Christmas, while David was on foot.

The bicycle was later found abandoned behind the petrol station near some bins.

Despite extensive searches and repeated appeals, neither boy was ever found.

In 1997, photographs of David and Patrick appeared on four-pint milk cartons in hundreds of Iceland stores as part of a national missing-person campaign.

The unusual appeal helped give the boys’ disappearance a lasting place in the public memory, and they became known as the “Milk Carton Kids.”

But decades later, the mystery remains unsolved.

LEE NEVER STOPPED LOOKING

Lee grew up carrying the disappearance of his older brother with him.

In a 2016 interview with ITV News, 20 years after David vanished, Lee described how difficult it was to live without knowing what had happened.

He said he wanted even the worst possible truth if it meant his family could finally grieve properly.

“I just want to know where David is,” he said at the time.

That determination continued for years.

In 2021, Lee helped lead a major community search on land near Solihull Moors Football Club after information emerged suggesting the boys could potentially have been buried there.

The search lasted for months and involved volunteers, but no evidence connected to David or Patrick was found.

Friends and supporters have since remembered Lee for his determination and for refusing to let the disappearance of the two boys fade from public attention.

A tribute posted following his death said Lee had done “everything in his power” to find his brother and Patrick.

YEARS OF LEADS — BUT NO ANSWERS

The investigation has generated numerous leads over the years, but none has established what happened to the boys.

In 2003, police arrested a 37-year-old man in connection with the disappearance. He was later released on bail and was never charged.

In 2006, detectives reopened the case and questioned convicted murderer and sex offender Brian Field, who had lived in the area at the time.

Field denied involvement in the disappearance, and no charges were brought against him in connection with David and Patrick.

Another potential breakthrough came in 2020, when human remains were discovered around three miles from where the boys were last seen.

However, forensic examination later established that the remains were not David or Patrick.

The case therefore remains without a confirmed explanation.

“I WANT TO GIVE HIM A PROPER FUNERAL”

For Lee, the hardest part was not simply losing his brother — it was never knowing where he was.

During his 2016 appeal, he spoke about wanting somewhere his family could visit and remember David.

He said that even if the truth was painful, knowing what happened would allow his family to finally grieve and move forward.

Now, almost 30 years after David disappeared, Lee has died without receiving that answer.

His daughter paid tribute to her father following his death, writing that she hoped he and David were together again.

Those who knew Lee have also remembered the years he spent searching for his brother and thanking members of the community who supported the family’s efforts.

David Spencer and Patrick Warren have still never been found.

And the mystery that began on a cold December night in 1996 remains open.