Remains of murdered woman Debbie Griggs dug up in garden near Ringwood

THE remains of a woman have been dug up in the back garden of a house near Ringwood more than 20 years after she was murdered by her husband.

Debbie Griggs was 34 and pregnant when she was reported missing in May 1999 from her home in Deal, Kent, by killer Andrew Griggs.

Despite a massive search, no trace of Debbie or her baby was ever found, and there were suspicions their corpses had been dumped at sea.

But her body has now been uncovered in the back garden of a home in St Leonard's, where Griggs used to live, by police acting on a tip-off.

Griggs had moved to the property with his three sons in July 2001 after remarrying. He ran a model ship business from the home.

He denied being responsible for Debbie's disappearance but was found guilty of murder, as reported in the A&T, and jailed for life in October 2019 following a review by cold case detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

He had always refused to admit killing his wife or saying where her body and that of their child was hidden.

Posting on Facebook today (Monday) Debbie's sister Wendie said: "Yes it is true. My sister has been found.

"In short, two years after he murdered her, he moved house and actually took her with him.

"Then buried her in the back yard."

Wendie claimed that the remains of Debbie's unborn child had also been found.

At Griggs' trial, prosecutors claimed he was the person with “the most reason” to want Debbie to disappear.

There were allegations that the couple had argued over his affair with a 15-year-old girl.

Griggs claimed Debbie had vanished after he fell asleep at their home and had been suffering from post-natal depression.

The couple had three sons, the youngest being 18 months.

The judge at the trial said that he "strongly suspected" that Griggs, who was a fisherman, had dumped his wife's body at sea.

A post-mortem examination was carried out on 14th October on the body found in the St Leonard's garden.

Specialist odontologists were able to confirm the teeth fragments belonged to Debbie. Police said further tests were needed to establish the cause of death.

A spokesperson for Kent Police said: “Enquiries will also be carried out to establish how Debbie’s remains came to be at the property.”

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "It is now more than 20 years since Debbie Griggs was murdered by her husband but we have never given up hope of one day finding her remains and giving her loved ones some closure.

"Andrew Griggs denied being responsible for his wife’s disappearance but this discovery is further proof that he was lying all along, causing even greater anguish for everyone who knew and loved Debbie.

"Whilst they continue to mourn her tragic loss to this day, I hope they can take some comfort in the knowledge that she can now be laid to rest.

"We will continue to keep Debbie’s family updated on the progress of our ongoing enquiries and provide support to them at this difficult time."