On October 2nd 1997, a son and a father set off to make a familial visit to relatives in the Lake District. That was the last time that these two were seen alive. Their bodies were found on October 18th, two weeks after their initial disappearance. After extensive searching, John Lee (52) and Connor (14) were located at the scene of a car crash in difficult terrain near Windermere. The deaths were treated as a tragic accident, which was devastating for the family.

During the post-mortem examinations, something truly intriguing and mysterious turned up to baffle the investigators working on the case. The analysis revealed that fresh traces of lipstick had been found on Connor Lee’s lips. An article from the BBC archives states “Forensic testing indicated that the lipstick, a brand popular with pre-teens, had been applied 10-14 days after the car accident”.

The mystery naturally lies in the manner in which the lipstick came to be on Lee’s mouth. One wonders if there may perhaps be a somewhat necrophiliac side to this case. Tomas Mankovsky created a beautifully eerie short film inspired by and exploring the case.

More on the film can be read about here.