An evil husband killed his pregnant wife and buried her under the garden where their three young sons would play.
Debbie Griggs, 34, disappeared from the family home in Deal, Kent, in May 1999.
She was four months pregnant at the time she vanished, and two years later her husband, who was ex-fisherman Andrew Griggs, moved to a new house in Dorset with her three young sons and his second wife.
Even though Griggs, 60, was thrown behind bars for her murder in October 2019 following a cold case review, her body lay undiscovered for more than two decades.
On October 5, police discovered human remains, including teeth fragments, with specialist odontologists confirmed had belonged to Debbie.
She had been buried in the back garden, and it's thought Griggs moved the remains from Kent to Dorset when he moved house.
However, the couple’s three children grew up believing their dad was innocent.
They were completely unaware that their mum’s remains were hidden under the grass they played on.
Griggs' mum Pamela Griggs, 86, told The Sun that Debbie's children Jeremy, 29, Jake, 27, and Luke, 25, would often run around in the garden where their mum's remains were discovered.
“I actually bought the house with my late husband," she said.
“Andrew and the three boys moved in with us after she went missing. I helped bring them up.
“They used to play in the garden and do all the things young boys do. We had no idea what had happened to their mother just that she had gone off."
Kent Police says further tests will now be carried out to establish the cause of her death and enquiries will also be made to establish how Debbie’s remains came to be at the property.
Griggs was found guilty of wife Debbie's murder following a five-day trial at Canterbury Crown Court in 2019.
He had denied murder and claimed to be asleep when his wife left home for the last time.
Justice Robin Spencer, sentencing Griggs, said at the time: "Her body has never been found, only you know how you killed her and where you disposed of her body.
"You told lie after lie in the witness box, just as you did at the time of Debbie's disappearance.
"In murdering your wife you destroyed the life of that unborn child as well.
"I strongly suspect that you dumped her body at sea.
"You knew that stretch of coast like the back of your hand. It would not have been difficult to weigh her body down so that it sank."
Following the discovery of Debbie's remains earlier this month, 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 inquiries and provide support to them at this difficult time."
