The Body Next Door on Sky: The Truth About John Sabine and the Corpse in the Shed
The second episode of the documentary series uncovers Leigh Ann Sabine's dark past and the 18 years with a corpse in the backyard
What is the series about?
The Body Next Door on Sky Documentaries is a three-part true crime series that maps one of the most bizarre British criminal cases in recent times. The series focuses on the discovery of John Sabine, who vanished without a trace in 1997 from the village of Beddau in South Wales. In Episode 2, titled 'The Secret', the investigation delves into the layers of lies that his wife, Leigh Ann Sabine, constructed to cover up the murder. Through interviews with neighbors, family members, and investigators from South Wales Police, the episode sheds light on how a mummified body could remain hidden in a densely populated residential area for 18 years without being discovered.
The real case
The real case of John Sabine began in November 2015, just weeks after his wife, Leigh Ann Sabine, passed away from brain cancer. A neighbor in the Trem-Y-Cwm housing complex attempted to pull off a practical joke using what she thought was a medical skeleton that Leigh Ann had stored in a communal garden shed. When the neighbor started cutting through the 41 layers of plastic and shopping bags surrounding the object, she encountered a macabre sight of real human skin and hair. It turned out to be the mummified remains of John Sabine, who had been missing since 1997.
The investigation revealed that Leigh Ann Sabine had killed her husband by striking him on the head with a heavy ceramic frog figurine. She then carefully wrapped the body and placed it in the shed. In the intervening 18 years, she continued to collect his pension and social benefits while telling the outside world that he had left her. The case is particularly shocking because Leigh Ann had made cryptic remarks to acquaintances on several occasions about having 'a body in a bag', which most dismissed as dark humor or fantasy.
Timeline of the case
- 1997: John Sabine is last seen alive in Beddau. He is killed shortly after with a blow to the skull.
- 1997-2015: Leigh Ann Sabine maintains the facade and tells neighbors that John has moved to London or New Zealand.
- October 2015: Leigh Ann dies of cancer, unaware that her secret will soon be revealed.