The case caused such a stir at the time that even nowadays, it’s still surrounded by inconsistencies, leading to many conspiracy theories. Read along to discover one of Britain’s most shocking unsolved disappearances.

He would later gain recognition for being a gambler, a socialite, and eventually, for disappearing mysteriously after committing a heinous crime.

He remained in the US for five years with a millionaire family acquaintance. They lived lavish lives and attended prestigious schools. After returning to England, the Lord was faced with the war and a more austere lifestyle than what he had been accustomed to in New York. 

His days at Eton were very favorable for him. Although he didn’t do very well academically, he learned other skills, including a talent for gambling, especially through playing bridge and backgammon with his classmates. He also took an interest in bookmaking for horse races, for which he constantly skipped lectures.

But without much choice, he became a merchant banker at William Brandt’s Sons and Co. During those years, he became close friends with a wealthy stockbroker who invited him on holidays to the Bahamas. Things were going well for the young aristocrat, but something was missing in his life.

The engagement was announced in many newspapers, and the wedding was attended by many members of high society, including Princess Alice, Queen Victoria’s last surviving grandchild of the time. Their honeymoon was a luxurious trip through Europe on the Orient Express, which they enjoyed greatly, the future was bright for the young couple. 

Meanwhile, Lucan was going through his own problems. He gambled daily, and with it, his fortune was almost entirely wiped out. His aspirations to become a professional gambler were slowly decreasing, but his habit was becoming severe.

In 1972, the separation was definitive, and Lucan moved to one of his family’s properties, leaving Veronica and the children at their home on Lower Belgrave Street. During the following years, Veronica tried asking Lucan to come back, but to no success; he wouldn’t leave his gambling life. 

After several court hearings, it was agreed that Veronica would keep the children and that Lucan could visit every other weekend. He wasn’t happy with the ruling but could do little about it. He started drinking and smoking excessively; the situation was terrible for the Lord.

When Jenkins was let go, they hired Stefanja Sawicka, but after an incident, she resigned. So came a series of temporary nannies until 1975, when they finally found Sandra Rivett, a young, charismatic woman who would take care of the children.

Sandra Rivette was attacked in the basement kitchen with a lead pipe by a stranger in the dark. Her life was taken suddenly and unfairly on the night of November 7th, 1974. Lady Lucan heard her screams, but when she tried to help, it was too late.

Scared and distraught, she tried fighting back, but it was no use. Then, she convinced him to go to the bedroom, to which he agreed. Then, when he was washing the blood from his hands, she escaped and ran to the nearest pub, The Plumbers Arms, explaining her ex-husband had attacked her.

While he was at their home, he sent a few letters explaining his version of the story, which didn’t match any of the witnesses’ versions. He also called his mother, asking her to take care of the children and saying that a “terrible catastrophe” had happened, but he failed to explain further.

When investigators found the car in Newhaven, they found an old lead pipe similar to the one they found in the basement of Lower Belgrave Street, as well as blood stains from both women. But he was nowhere to be found.

This raised a lot of speculation, and some started to be unsure he had taken his life away. He was tormented by his debt and obsessed with gaining custody of his children, but he never talked openly about considering something as extreme as death. There was a missing puzzle piece.

Ranson, the detective assigned to the case, was puzzled. He ordered such an extensive search for the body that they found other remains that belonged to a missing judge. And to no success, the case was then shared with police nationwide, and even Interpol was warned to keep an eye out for him.

“Countess runs screaming,” “Earl sought,” and “Body in sack” were only some of the headlines of that morning. Although the family and friends of Lord Lucan were distraught, they all agreed to avoid giving the press the information they so consistently asked for. Trying to keep Lucan’s name clean wasn’t successful.

Even Lady Lucan said her husband had likely jumped into the English Channel with a stone around his body “like the nobleman he was.” This theory makes sense, but the press and detectives made sure to keep an eye out, just in case.

This made people very suspicious, and the mystery of Lord Lucan’s disappearance only led to conspiracy theories among the public. As a result, many took the case as a hobby, trying to connect the dots to find the infamous Lord.

Her son, Lord Aspinall, indeed owned a private zoo with tigers so this theory could be true. Except it seems unlikely that Aspinall would allow his friend to commit such an act.

With his influence and power, he could have hired a boat under another name or even bought one to seem less suspicious. There would be no way of finding the body this way. This was the cause of death stated on his certificate.

The true story is that a Scotland Yard detective tracked down Lucan, but the man he thought to be the Lord was actually a musician named Barry Halpin, from Merseyside in the north of England.

He lived in a Land Rover and owned a pet goat named Camilla, which happened to be Lucan’s youngest daughter’s name. This one was discredited quickly after realizing the man was simply an eccentric British immigrant.

Lady Lucan quickly denied the accusations telling the press that her husband wasn’t the type of person to “cope well abroad.” But a former secretary to Aspinall claimed that she had proof. This was later disproved.

The last time there was a “sighting” was in 2020, in Australia. When a computer scientist used an AI that confirmed that a British man living in a Buddhist commune in Brisbane matched perfectly with Lucan, both his facial gestures and age.

The latest adaptation was a two-part mini-series starring Rory Kinnear as Lucan and Catherine McCormack as Veronica. The story has its theory of the unfolding of events and his inner circle’s reaction. The series brought a new generation of people to ask themselves, “What happened to Lord Lucan?”

In 2017, when she was 80 years old, she took her own life. The Lady took a hefty dose of medicine and alcohol and died in her home in London, the same house in Belgravia where the incident occurred in the 70s.

She kept a reserved life and kept her promise never to see her children again, even though they tried to reconnect. She left all of her estates to a homeless charity shelter when she died.

Many television and movie portrayals might have their endings, and approaches, but whatever the Lord really did after escaping his house in London will never be known to us. What is true is that Sandra Rivett didn’t deserve such a tragic fate.