In November 2015, a shocking murder case came to light in the town of Beddau, Wales. The skeletal remains of John Sabine were found wrapped in plastic in a garden, believed to have been murdered by his wife, Leigh Ann Sabine, who had died in October 2015.
Leigh Ann, referred to locally as “Mad Lee,” allegedly killed her husband and concealed his body in various locations within their home for 18 years, during which she also abandoned her five children.
John Sabine, a 67-year-old accountant, disappeared from his home in 1997. His wife misled everyone by claiming he had left her, while she had in fact murdered him with a stone frog ornament. She meticulously wrapped his body in plastic and shopping bags, moving it between different hiding spots – under a bed, in a garden shed, and eventually in her attic.
For nearly two decades, Leigh Ann continued to collect John’s pension. Her secret remained undiscovered until she passed away from brain cancer on October 30, 2015. A few weeks later, a friend discovered John’s mummified remains in the attic while sorting through her belongings. This gruesome discovery led South Wales Police to search for traces of the murder weapon in her photos.
A postmortem conducted by forensic pathologist Dr Richard Jones determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. He noted that the body was well preserved due to “chemical mummification.” The specific pattern of wounds on John’s head matched protrusions on a frog-shaped ornament. Investigators found this ornament in a box of trinkets Leigh Ann had given to her friend Michelle.
A few months before her death, Sabine confided in her hairdresser, “People are going to talk about me after I have gone. I could be famous.” When asked why, she replied, “Because of the body in the bag.”
Photographer Juliet Eden, who met Sabine a year before her death, remarked, “Lee was highly intelligent, very confident and quite mad. She called everyone ‘darling’ and hid her secrets behind a crazy, flamboyant demeanour. I always found that puzzling; if people have something they want to hide, usually they stay quiet and tuck themselves away in a corner. But Lee was the opposite, she hid in plain sight.”
Juliet Eden has also written a book, “Frog Murderer,” which reflects on her experiences with Leigh Ann Sabine.
The story of John Sabine’s murder and the subsequent revelation of his wife’s dark secret has been chronicled in a three-part documentary series titled “The Body Next Door.” This series delves into one of the most bizarre and shocking true crime stories of the past decade.
Leigh Ann, referred to locally as “Mad Lee,” allegedly killed her husband and concealed his body in various locations within their home for 18 years, during which she also abandoned her five children.
John Sabine, a 67-year-old accountant, disappeared from his home in 1997. His wife misled everyone by claiming he had left her, while she had in fact murdered him with a stone frog ornament. She meticulously wrapped his body in plastic and shopping bags, moving it between different hiding spots – under a bed, in a garden shed, and eventually in her attic.
For nearly two decades, Leigh Ann continued to collect John’s pension. Her secret remained undiscovered until she passed away from brain cancer on October 30, 2015. A few weeks later, a friend discovered John’s mummified remains in the attic while sorting through her belongings. This gruesome discovery led South Wales Police to search for traces of the murder weapon in her photos.
A postmortem conducted by forensic pathologist Dr Richard Jones determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. He noted that the body was well preserved due to “chemical mummification.” The specific pattern of wounds on John’s head matched protrusions on a frog-shaped ornament. Investigators found this ornament in a box of trinkets Leigh Ann had given to her friend Michelle.
A few months before her death, Sabine confided in her hairdresser, “People are going to talk about me after I have gone. I could be famous.” When asked why, she replied, “Because of the body in the bag.”
Photographer Juliet Eden, who met Sabine a year before her death, remarked, “Lee was highly intelligent, very confident and quite mad. She called everyone ‘darling’ and hid her secrets behind a crazy, flamboyant demeanour. I always found that puzzling; if people have something they want to hide, usually they stay quiet and tuck themselves away in a corner. But Lee was the opposite, she hid in plain sight.”
Juliet Eden has also written a book, “Frog Murderer,” which reflects on her experiences with Leigh Ann Sabine.
The story of John Sabine’s murder and the subsequent revelation of his wife’s dark secret has been chronicled in a three-part documentary series titled “The Body Next Door.” This series delves into one of the most bizarre and shocking true crime stories of the past decade.