A new two-part documentary airing on Sky Crime on Sunday, June 7, 2026, details how a 2015 KentOnline article prompted Kent Police to reopen a decades-old cold case, ultimately leading to the murder conviction of Andrew Griggs.
Debbie Griggs, a pregnant mother of three, vanished from her home in Deal, Kent, on May 5, 1999.
>>> Emergency Services Search for Supposedly Crashed Paraglider in Groesbeek
Extensive searches at the time failed to find her, and the case remained unsolved for years.
The breakthrough came when her family noticed her name was missing from an online list of unsolved cases published by KentOnline.
They filed a complaint, which forced the Kent Police Cold Case Unit to retrieve all original case files from storage and relaunch the investigation as a live operation.
Andrew Griggs denied involvement for decades but was convicted of murder at Canterbury Crown Court in 2019.
He received a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years.
Three years before his conviction, specialist officers discovered Debbie's remains inside a sealed water butt in Dorset.
The discovery followed information from the couple's son, Jake, who revealed that his father asked him during a 2019 prison visit to exhume the body, remove hair, and mail a fake letter from France to simulate that she was alive.
An inquest in 2025 officially recorded the cause of death as unascertained due to severe decomposition, as detailed in the television program produced by Avalon Television.
Cold Case Unit's Investigation
Cold Case Unit detective DC Mark Butler explained how the online list of unsolved cases served as the catalyst for reviving the dormant investigation.
"So it all starts with a list of unsolved cases, that had been posted on KentOnline," said DC Butler.
He noted that a relative had complained about Debbie's omission from that list. The directive to initiate the review came directly from his commanding officer.
"My DCI said, could you have a look at this?" said DC Butler.
The team then faced the logistical task of retrieving the complete documentation from a large-scale storage facility.
The archives contained comprehensive records from various historical investigations spanning multiple years.
"It's a massive warehouse with all these different cases throughout the years stored in their entirety," said DC Butler.
The materials were relocated to a local station to facilitate the active reopening of the probe.
The case files filled a precinct corridor before being reorganized on shelves for active review.
"So it was a matter of getting those boxes brought back down to Folkestone where they filled up most of the corridor and then we unpacked it all and put it back onto the shelves as if it was a live case," said DC Butler.
Wife's Perspective
The documentary also features interviews with Andrew Griggs' second wife, Deborah Griggs, who married him after the disappearance and maintains his innocence despite the judicial verdict.
"He's very generous. He would give up something so someone else could have it," said Deborah Griggs.
She compared his character to a well-known promotional campaign about sharing.
"He was the sort of person that, as the advert says, would give you the last Rolo," she said.
She asserted that her husband maintained strong protective instincts toward his household. "He's a true gentleman, very protective of his family," she said.
Deborah Griggs recalled that he disclosed the murder allegations to her at the inception of their relationship.
"He said to me he had something to tell me, 'there's something you need to know about me'," she said.
According to her account, he explicitly denied killing his first wife during that conversation. "He said he had been arrested for murdering his first wife.
>>> Ridley Scott's 'The Last Duel' Now Streaming on Paramount Plus
He said that he hadn't murdered his wife. She had gone out one night and not come back.
He gave me the option of walking away," she said.
She explained that her emotional attachment prompted her to remain with him.
"I'd already got to know him, I'd felt quite strongly for him, and I told him I'm not going anywhere," she said.
Deborah Griggs addressed the testimony provided by her stepson regarding the instructions issued inside the prison.
"Obviously, I'm aware of what Andy asked his son to do," she said.
She stated that she confronted her husband during a subsequent visitation to demand the truth.
"I said, 'Tell me the truth, and if you tell me something I know is a lie, I'm out of here'," she said.
He allegedly claimed he discovered the remains inside a barrel while moving properties in 2001 and failed to notify authorities out of fear.
"He was promptly sick," she said.
When questioned about whether he recognized the body, she stated his identification was uncertain. "He wasn't 100%," she said.
She expressed understanding regarding their decision to conceal the discovery from law enforcement. "I don't condone the decision, but I understand why he did it," she said.
She concluded by rejecting the conclusion reached by the criminal court jury. "I believe he's innocent," she said.
She suggested that the victim departed voluntarily, leaving her children behind. "I don't think he killed his wife.
I believe she walked out and left him with the children, and what happened after that, who knows," she said.
She acknowledged the public perception regarding her steadfast position on the matter.
"I've had people comment that I'm naive and that I'm in denial, but currently I believe what he's telling me," she said.
Executive Producer's Comments
Executive producer Sarah Rest described the television project as a complex narrative centered on extended deception.
"This is not just another murder story; it is a 20 year tale of deception, lies and an attempt to rewrite reality," she said.
The production team worked in cooperation with local police and the victim's family to provide a platform for her personal journals and perspective.
"We are thrilled to have finally brought this whole story to screen having worked exclusively with Kent Police and Debbie's family and friends over several years," said Rest.
She characterized the case as an exploration of betrayal within a domestic environment.
"Debbie's story is a chilling blend of domestic betrayal, long-buried secrets, and ultimately, a fight for justice," she said.
The project utilized archival home videos to portray the victim's character alongside accounts from her sister and friends.
"While it was key to unpick the police investigation spanning those two decades, it was also important for us to give Debbie a voice and allow her deepest thoughts and fears to have a platform as well as bring her true personality to life through home video and memories shared by her sister and close friend," said Rest.
The production sought to emphasize the broader impact of the crime on multiple individuals involved.
>>> Marwell Zoo Intensifies Search for Escaped Capybara After Credible Sightings
"It is also important to realise there is more than one victim in stories such as this, and we hope everyone we filmed with felt they were treated with the respect they deserve and given the opportunity to have their say," said Rest.
