The Lost Boy

The definitive book on the subject, now introducing new evidence from lost files. Published alongside a major 2-part BBC documentary for Summer 25.

When Myra Hindley and Ian Brady were convicted for the Moors Murders in 1966, the case shook the nation. The case has held us both horrified and fascinated for fifty years. And now, with new access to papers and files that have been missing for decades, Duncan Staff is able to shed new light on the story.

The Moors Murderers were convicted for the murder of three children, but it can now be proved the police always knew there were five victims. In this updated edition of his seminal bestseller, Duncan Staff reveals the injustice caused by a police failure to act on this knowledge—a failure that has left families without children to bury, the Moors murderers in control of the narrative, and hideous killings unresolved. He also shows how Brady and Hindley had a system—one decoded by officers at the time—by which they recorded where all their victims were buried.

Published alongside a BBC documentary series featuring Staff's work, The Lost Boy is a call to action on behalf of the families of the victims, the people of Manchester, and every person who has lived with this case. It demonstrates exactly why the police should act on all the evidence when presented with serial crimes.