Ellis Cox’s grieving mum has issued a fresh appeal to find her son’s killer on what would have been his 20th birthday.
The 19-year-old was fatally shot in Liverpool on June 23 last year and an investigation is ongoing to find the people responsible. Merseyside Police have arrested a number of people in connection with the murder, but no one has been charged yet.
The young man’s mother, Carolyn, described him as “so kind, so laid back, so calm, so mature for his age.” She also was he was “very funny” before adding: “He was my baby… no mum should have to bury a child. He was my life. And I don’t know what to do without him.”
Teen spoke to mum to say he was coming home moments before he was fatally shot
Ellis Cox was killed in June last year
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Doorbell footage captures Ellis on the day he was fatally shot
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She also vowed to “keep going to find who took Ellis from us” as she told BBC Radio Merseyside: “If we don’t have this, there’s no reason for me to get up in the morning. It’s only this that gives me something. We just want to keep Ellis in the spotlight.”
Carolyn also said the family’s first Christmas without Ellis was “very difficult”, before adding: “It just came and went for us. It wasn’t Christmas because Christmas was always for Ellis. No matter how old he got, we would still go into the living room together, do all our presents together, so it’s never going to be the same without Ellis because he was the central focus for me at Christmas time.”
Speaking to Sky News, Ellis’ aunt, Julie O’Toole said he was “the sort of person I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone to say anything negative about. He was loyal, fiercely loyal… everything was about his family.” To mark the first birthday since Ellis was killed, Liverpool City Council will be lighting up the Cunard Building and Liverpool Town Hall in orange in tribute to him.
Mum Carolyn Cox has issued another appeal to find her son’s killer
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Paying tribute to Ellis on his birthday, his family said: “Happy birthday Ellis, we hope you can see how much you mean to us. Our world is shattered and doesn’t make much sense without you.
“Our hearts are broken and we are struggling to find the words to write this because for 19 years this was a day you would celebrate and make a fuss of you and get you all of your favourite things, we never missed a chance to get together. How can we now celebrate his life which had hardly begun and was taken in such a cruel unexplainable way?
“It’s so hard knowing all the things he was yet to experience in life, this was his time to start to experience so much in life. He was still a teenager. So many memories he was yet to make, so many moments he was going to have to cherish and so much time he had to achieve all what he had always dreamed of he was just 19.
Ellis’ parents at Merseyside Police HQ
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“His innocence is our main message to you. We understand what a difficult situation you must be in if you have information not knowing if you can, you might be scared, worried about getting it wrong, is what you know even worth mentioning but please we are begging you please speak up for Ellis, for us. Nobody’s life should be taken by another, and we will never stop asking for help because he couldn’t be more deserving of it.
“We hope we touch the hearts of everybody that can help you today our beautiful Ellis because you deserve that and so much more. Happy birthday we will love you always and forever Ellis and we will never give up for you.”
A banner calling for information about Ellis’ murder
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Detective Chief Inspector Steve McGrath, the Senior Investigating Officer, said: “Every day without Ellis is extremely difficult for his family, but today will be particularly poignant as they mark what would have been his 20th birthday. My thoughts are with them today and our specialist family liaison officers continue to support them in every way they can.
“Our determination to get justice for Ellis’ 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 the police’s dedicated web page to submit information or footage which can help in the investigation of Ellis’s murder. You can also contact the force via social media @MerPolCC or call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 24000554719.