Police have issued a £10,000 reward for information about a teenager who disappeared from his home nearly 17 years ago.
Alexander Sloley, a 16-year-old accountancy student, had little money, no wallet and no passport when he went missing in Islington, north London, two days before his birthday in August, 2008.
He had been visiting a friend’s home in Edmonton, but had set off home at around midday.
His family and friends have not heard from him since, and, despite repeated appeals and enquiries, police have never been able to find him.
Mr Sloley had no belongings or spare clothes that would indicate he planned to run away, and his phone, bank account, and National Insurance number have not been used since he went missing.
He has also never been spotted on CCTV. In 2009, his case was one of the first to be publicised on nearly 13.5 million milk cartons at supermarket chain Iceland.
When he went missing, Mr Sloley was described as a light-skinned black male, 5ft 5ins tall and of medium build, with striking blue eyes.
According to the Camden New Journal, in 2012 a police officer said about Mr Sloley’s disappearance: “It’s like he disappeared off the face of the planet.”
In 2017, Mick Neville, a retired head of the Metropolitan Police’s Central Images Unit, said he believed there was a possible connection between Alex and missing 14-year-old Andrew Gosden.
Mr Gosden was last seen in King’s Cross Station in London after taking a train from Doncaster, where he lived with his parents and sister.
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There has been no trace of him since.
However, in 2019, detectives said there was no proof that Mr Sloley had been harmed and there was no evidence that it was linked to any other cases.
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Speaking about the Metropolitan Police’s £10,000 reward, detective chief inspector Sarb Kaur, who is leading the investigation into his disappearance, said: “Alex was reported missing to police on 8 August, 2008.
“Since then, there have been extensive enquiries made by police, but sadly Alex has not yet been found.
“We are now offering a reward of up to £10,000 for anyone who has information relating to Alex’s whereabouts.
“This remains an active missing person investigation, subject to regular review by senior officers, with the aim of locating Alex and bringing some comfort to his family. We have recently met with Alex’s mother to outline how we intend to progress our investigation to find him.
“I would ask anyone with information who could help to please get in contact immediately, no matter how insignificant you think this could be.”
