'So broken and lost' : Mum desperate for answers over son's gun murder as killer remains at large

23 June 2025, 13:49

Twelve months on from the murder of a Merseyside teenager, his mum has told LBC she is still haunted by the night he died.

Ellis Cox, 19, had been out on a bike ride with his friends when he was shot dead on the Liver Industrial Estate, just a few minutes from his home in Aintree.

His mum, Carolyn, said: “He called me and said I’ll be home in five minutes, so I could start warming his tea.

"It’s difficult for us to explain the indescribable pain we are going through each day knowing we don’t get to hug him, laugh with him, and watch him make his way in the world everything hurts in a way words can’t fully reach.

"Nothing feels the same without him and our family is just so lost and broken. We are just existing trying to get through each day and we will keep fighting for justice until those responsible for taking him from us are caught and we will continue to appeal to our city to help us before any more of our children are taken from us in the most unimaginable way as we wouldn’t wish this on anyone."

Since the shooting, on Sunday 23 June last year at Liver Industrial Estate, an extensive investigation has been ongoing to find the people responsible, but nobody has been charged.

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A number of people have been arrested in connection to the murder, but no one has been charged yet.

Ellis’ family have arranged for a number of digital screens across the city to display the appeal for information today (Monday 23rd June) and Liverpool Town Hall, St George’s Hall and the Cunard building in Liverpool city centre will all light up in Ellis’s favourite colour, orange.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve McGrath, the Senior Investigating Officer, said: “Ellis’ family have now had to endure a whole year without him, a whole year without seeing justice done.

“Our specialist family liaison officers have supported them since day one and we know the immeasurable impact his death has had on them every single day.

“Our detectives have made arrests, spoken to potential witnesses and studied hundreds of hours of CCTV and doorbell footage for clues about what happened that night and who carried out this heinous crime.

“We are certain that people out there have information about who took Ellis from his family.

“If anyone out there is keeping information to themselves, I ask you to consider what Ellis’s family have gone through.

“His parents and his big brother Ethan have had a year of unimaginable grief and they are desperate for answers.

“If you haven’t already, it is now time to come forward with that information. Time is no barrier to us seeking justice for Ellis’ family, and it certainly is not too late for someone to come forward.

“Our determination to get justice for Ellis and his family remains as strong as ever. We continue to make inquiries as part of this ongoing investigation and would appeal to anyone with information to come forward."

If you have any information, you can visit our dedicated web page to submit information or footage which can help in the investigation of Ellis’s murder https://mipp.police.uk/operation/05MP23M53-PO1

You can also contact Merseyside Police via social media @MerPolCC or call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 24000554719.