A crime that will never be solved! Woman hid husband’s body for 18 years

Leigh Sabine lived a life full of mystery. But her darkest secret remained buried until her own death in 2015. Friends and acquaintances always found her stories fascinating, but few knew what was real and what was fiction. She had a knack for storytelling, constantly spinning tales about her past. Some believed her, while others dismissed her as an eccentric. But no one could have imagined the horrifying truth she had kept hidden for nearly two decades. When authorities finally uncovered her secret, the world was left in shock.

The woman who spun stories

Leigh was a woman of many words. She moved from Britain to New Zealand, then Australia, before returning to Britain. She often spoke about her success as a cabaret singer, claiming she had found fame in far-off places. Many doubted her stories, but she told them with such confidence that some people believed her. However, her most disturbing claim was that she had killed her husband. Most thought it was just another one of her wild tales. But in November 2015, when John Sabine’s body was found, people finally realized she had been telling the truth all along.

A life of constant moving

Leigh married John Sabine in 1960. Their relationship was scandalous from the start. John was already married with two children when they met. Despite this, they went on to have five children of their own. Their life was chaotic, marked by constant moves. Leigh was always searching for something—fame, fortune, or simply a fresh start. But their biggest and most heartless decision came when they abandoned their children at a foster care facility in Auckland. They never looked back. From there, they returned to Britain, where John eventually disappeared in 1997. Leigh carried on as if nothing had happened. No one questioned his absence.

The shocking discovery

In 2015, Michelle James moved into Leigh’s former home in Wales. She had heard rumors about a medical skeleton Leigh kept in a package in the backyard. It seemed like a strange but harmless quirk. Leigh had died of cancer just a month before, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions. During her final years, she often asked her caregiver to move the heavy package, joking that a body was inside. No one took her seriously. But curiosity got the better of Michelle and her friend Rhian Lee. They decided to pull a prank, planning to use the skeleton to scare a neighbor. When they cut the package open, their joke turned into a nightmare. A liquid seeped onto their hands. It wasn’t a skeleton. It was a real corpse. Horrified, they called the police.

Not a medical skeleton

South Wales police arrived quickly. The so-called “skeleton” was a mummified human body. A pathologist determined it had been preserved using chemical mummification. The cause of death? Blunt force trauma. It was clear that this was no accident. DNA analysis confirmed the body was John Sabine. He had been last seen alive in 1997. For eighteen years, his remains had been hidden in plain sight. The discovery sent shockwaves through the community. How had Leigh managed to keep such a terrible secret for so long? The answers remained elusive.

The investigation unfolds

In 2016, an inquiry into John’s murder began. Authorities worked to piece together the truth. One of Leigh’s friends, Valerie Chalkley, came forward with a chilling revelation. She testified that Leigh had once confessed to the crime. In a phone call back in 1997, Leigh told her she had killed John. But Chalkley never knew whether to believe her. Leigh was known for exaggeration and lies. She spoke of grand achievements and dramatic stories. Could this have been just another one? Unfortunately, no. This time, Leigh’s words had been horrifyingly true. John had been dead for nearly two decades, and no one had suspected a thing.

A crime that will never be solved

Despite the investigation, many questions remain unanswered. Investigators agree on one thing—Leigh Sabine likely killed John Sabine and kept his body hidden. But why? What led to the fatal moment? And how did she manage to keep his death a secret for so long? Glamorgan valleys coroner Andrew Barkley admitted that the full truth may never be known. There were no other suspects. No signs of anyone else being involved. South Wales Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Morgan was certain: “It is my view that Leigh Sabine probably killed John Sabine and wrapped up his body. There was no evidence to suggest anyone else knew of his death.” With Leigh dead, justice could never be served.

The truth uncovered too late

Leigh carried her secret to the grave. If not for a prank gone wrong, John’s body might have remained hidden forever. The world will never know exactly what happened between Leigh and John in 1997. What started as a love story ended in deception, death, and mystery. Leigh lived a life of fiction, weaving stories that entertained and misled. But in the end, one of those stories turned out to be horrifyingly real. The truth came too late, and John Sabine’s tragic fate will forever remain a chilling mystery.