Police offer £10k reward for information about boy missing since 2008 (2025)

Alexander Sloley, from Islington, north London, was 16 -years-old when he was reported missing in August 2008 and his family and friends have not heard from him since

Police are offering a £10,000 reward for any information that could help them locate a teenage boy who vanished from his home nearly 17 years ago.

Alexander Sloley, from Islington in North London, was just 16 when he went missing in August 2008, having not made contact with his family or friends since. The accountancy student at City and Islington College had little money, no wallet and no bag with extra clothes to indicate he was planning to run away, police said previously. He was described as a light-skinned black male, 5ft 5ins and of medium build with striking blue eyes.

Detective Chief Inspector Sarb Kaur, who is leading the investigation, said: “Alex was reported missing to police on August 8 2008. Since then there have been extensive enquiries made by police but sadly Alex has not yet been found.

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"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."

In 2019, police released an e-fit of what Alex may have looked like aged 27 as part of a reopening of the investigation. At the time, his mother, Nerissa Tivy, said it was emotional to see the e-fit of her son as an adult.

She said: “It’s a great picture of Alex and of how he might possibly look like now. Then you try to put a body to it and how he might be dressed and looking. He was quite a slick dresser, my son, he wasn’t scruffy.

“There’s no closure to this and, with all the appeals and knowing your child would not just run away, you start thinking something terrible has happened to him,” she added at the time. I would love to see him walk through the door.”

People quizzed previously in connection with Alex’s disappearance were re-interviewed in 2019. At the time detectives said there was no proof that Alex had been harmed and there was no evidence that it was linked to any other cases.

Detective Constable Tom Boon said in 2019: “The hope is he is safe and well and somehow has managed to stay off the radar in terms of using bank accounts, passports, that sort of thing. As time goes on it becomes more and more concerning, although there’s no proof of harm.”

Police are now asking anyone with any information about Alexander’s disappearance to get in touch with them on 07860 369603 or through Crimestoppers.

• The Mirror is using its platform to launch Missed – a campaign to shine a light on underrepresented public-facing missing persons in the UK via a live interactive map, in collaboration with Missing People Charity. Because every missing person, no matter their background or circumstances, is someone’s loved one. And they are always Missed.