16-year-old Leanne Tiernan went missing while walking home from Christmas shopping in Leeds. Nine months later, her body was found in Lindley Woods, wrapped in layers and almost perfectly preserved.
The police investigation led straight to John Taylor, a local postal worker. He had abducted her, killed her, and stored her in his freezer.
The Disappearance
On November 26, 2000, Leanne and her friend Sarah Whitehouse went Christmas shopping at Leeds City Center.
“We’d been shopping and we were having a laugh about boyfriends, usual stuff. Leanne was very generous she spent a lot of money on me. She borrowed money so she could get my Christmas presents.”
The 16-year-old girls had to be home by 5:00 PM. Before it got dark, they hopped on a bus and rode three miles to their neighborhood. Once out, they parted ways, and Leanne took a shortcut through the wooded valley. It was supposed to be a five-minute walk home. She never made it.
Throughout the night, this is what her mother Sharon heard: “I can’t get the phone right now, call that bye.” The more she heard this simple voicemail, the more she spiraled. They hadn’t had a fight. Leanne had no reason to ignore her or run away. Something awful must have happened.
Before the night was over, Sharon called Leeds Police Department and reported her daughter missing. On the morning of November 27, many of Leanne’s friends, schoolmates, and neighbors were out looking for her.
“She was the nuttiest person you could ever meet. Just before Leanne went missing, we went to Turkey in the summer… the biggest last memory I have of her was two weeks abroad, having a good old time. She was my best friend. She had a big sunshine personality.”
Leanne’s friends knew what a missing-person case meant. They were old enough to figure she was in grave danger if still alive. However, detectives were surprised to see that Leanne was not the type to get into trouble.
Chief Detective Ive Chris Gregg noted that missing girls in the area usually came from vulnerable backgrounds or disrupted families. Leanne came from neither. Her parents were divorced, but she had a stable family life with her mother and sister.
“The last memory I have is when she was setting off to go shopping. She kissed me on the cheek and she laughed because she got lipstick on me again. She was always doing that.”
Chris Gregg knew authorities had to act fast. Missing-person cases for teenagers have limited windows of success if delayed. Sadly, they didn’t know Leanne was already gone.
The Massive Search
Chris called for backup. The National Crime Faculty joined in the search, scouring every inch between the bus stop and Leanne’s home.
Detective Adam Gregory noted the area Leanne cut through was straight out of a horror movie. “When I first visited Houghley Gill, it just strikes you as an awful place to be. It’s shrouded by bushes and overgrown on both sides. Most people would avoid it unless they had reason to go there.”
Within two days, 200 officers were working on the case. Most detectives knew they were probably looking at a murder case. Statistics indicate that when 48 hours have passed in a missing child case, the odds are not in their favor.
Leanne’s father remembers the feeling of dread. “There were times when we felt pretty much down that she may have been taken and killed, but we couldn’t allow ourselves to believe it.”
While Leanne’s neighborhood was scoured to no avail, detectives also questioned everyone in her life. “Suddenly, you get pulled into press things, you’re being questioned because you’re a suspect. Friends, family, everybody’s a suspect. It’s a total nightmare really.”
By summer 2001, interrogations had died down. Then came the fateful call.
The Shocking Discovery
On August 20, 2001, a man named Mark B. was walking his dog through Lindley Woods. He saw a big package lying there and phoned 911.
Officers arrived to find Leanne Tiernan’s body wrapped in so many layers it was described as a Russian doll. Despite nine months, her body showed almost no decomposition.
The cause of death was strangulation, but multiple cables and collars around her body made exact determination difficult. One cable had a small red-carpet fiber attached.
Detectives realized the body had been stored, likely in a freezer. Once that freezer broke down, the body was moved to the woods. Chris Gregg feared the killer might be preparing another victim.
The Forensic Breakthrough
The dog collar was harder to trace because it had no manufacturer number. Police contacted all suppliers and identified a man who had purchased multiple collars from Liverpool. His name was John Taylor, living a few blocks from Leanne’s family.
Taylor worked for Parcel Force and had a known history of animal cruelty. Forensic teams found dog collars matching the one around Leanne’s neck, cable ties similar to those on her wrists, and animal skeletons in his backyard.
John Taylor’s Hidden Life
Taylor’s home was disturbing. Carpets had been removed, a toilet was unplugged in the living room, and pet cages contained no animals. In the backyard, forensic teams discovered 28 ferrets and four dogs, all dead. The smell inside the house was indescribable.
Neighbors described him as “The Pet Man.” On the surface, he appeared harmless walking dogs, selling pet food, and keeping ferrets but others knew him as a cruel poacher.
Taylor was a 44-year-old divorcee, living alone since his split four years earlier. He had two children living with their mother. Friends knew he loved hunting foxes and rabbits, with Lindley Woods as his favorite spot.
Investigators discovered Taylor had a history of manipulative and violent behavior toward women. Ex-partners reported that what began as “play” often ended with tight restraints and physical violence. He had even told one ex he wanted to sleep with a neighbor’s 15-year-old daughter. Taylor had been active on dating websites and traveled the country for one-night stands.
Authorities concluded he was a serial predator, with a pattern of preying on vulnerable girls and controlling women, extending his cruelty to both humans and animals.
Links to Other Cases
While investigating Taylor, detectives reviewed unsolved homicides and missing-person cases in the area, uncovering a disturbing pattern.
In 1992, Yvonne Fitt’s lifeless body was found in a shallow grave in Lindley Woods. Two years later, Lynne Jo Rimmer disappeared. In 1995, Deborah Wood was murdered and dumped in woodland. By 2001, Rebecca Hall’s body was found in a shady alley in Bradford.
All the cases shared similarities young female victims, secluded dumping locations, and no witnesses. Taylor had access to these areas and had familiarity with the woods, suggesting a deliberate pattern.
Though forensic evidence directly tied him only to Leanne, detectives suspected he could be linked to multiple other crimes. Families of these victims were left desperate for answers, aware that Taylor had terrorized the region for over a decade.
Caught and Sentenced for Murder
In September 2001, West Yorkshire Police arrested Taylor at his Leeds home. He was questioned about Leanne’s disappearance and murder. Initially, he denied involvement, claiming he had only seen the girl walking near his property.
Under pressure, and confronted with forensic evidence dog collars, cable ties, red-carpet fibers, and items linking his home to the crime Taylor confessed. He admitted abducting Leanne, tying her hands with a dog lead, and taking her back to his home over half a mile away. He said he initially only intended to “see” her.
During the struggle, he claimed Leanne fell and hit her head, though forensic evidence disproved this. He later admitted he had strangled her, stored her body in his freezer, and moved it to Lindley Woods when the freezer broke.
Taylor was charged with murder. His trial began in July 2002. The prosecution described him as a cold, dangerous sexual sadist, deliberately targeting a vulnerable girl in a secluded area.
He pleaded guilty, avoiding further confessions. The judge stated:
“After the death of this girl at your hands, you wanted deviancy with a girl of similar age. This demonstrates how dangerous you are and your lack of remorse. You were not acting on impulse; you chose a secluded place and a vulnerable young girl. You are a dangerous sadist.”
Taylor was sentenced to life imprisonment, with the court recommending he never be released.
Following Taylor’s conviction, detectives continued reviewing unsolved cases linked to him, but no further charges were brought.
