Susan Sabine is one of five children abandoned in New Zealand by their parents, Leigh Ann and John Sabine, in the late 1960s. This tragic event has cast a long shadow over her life, as she grapples with the complexities of her past and the shocking revelations surrounding her parents.
A Childhood Marked by Abandonment
Susan, along with her siblings, was left in the care of the state after her parents emigrated to New Zealand. This sudden abandonment led to a challenging childhood, marked by foster care and a sense of loss and confusion. The lack of parental guidance and love had a profound impact on her formative years.
The Shocking Revelation
In recent years, a shocking revelation has come to light. Susan’s mother, Leigh Ann Sabine, is suspected of murdering her husband, John, and concealing his body for nearly two decades. This gruesome discovery has sent shockwaves through the family and has forced Susan to confront a painful truth about her past.
A Search for Identity and Connection
The revelation of her mother’s alleged crime has intensified Susan’s desire to understand her family history and connect with her long-lost relatives. She has embarked on a journey to uncover the truth about her parents and to find solace in the arms of her newfound family.
The Impact of the Past
The trauma of abandonment and the shocking revelations about her parents have had a significant impact on Susan’s life. She has struggled with feelings of anger, sadness, and confusion. However, she has also shown remarkable resilience and determination to overcome these challenges.
A Hopeful Future
Despite the pain of the past, Susan remains hopeful for the future. She is determined to rebuild her life and to find happiness and fulfillment. With the support of her newfound family and friends, she is working towards a brighter future.
The Power of Human Connection
Susan’s story is a powerful reminder of the importance of human connection and the enduring power of family. It highlights the resilience of the human spirit and the ability to overcome adversity. Her journey is a testament to the strength of the human heart and the hope that can emerge from even the darkest of times.
Background of Susan Sabine’s Family Tragedy
In 1969, Leigh Ann and John Sabine, originally from Wales, moved with their children to New Zealand. After a period of instability and financial struggle, the couple decided to leave their children behind in New Zealand and travel to Australia. This decision marked the beginning of years of abandonment for the five Sabine children, including Susan, who was about 25 years old at the time of their reunion in 1984. The children were left in foster care, where they faced challenges of identity and emotional trauma.
Return and Reunion
After more than a decade, in 1984, the Sabine parents returned to New Zealand and reconnected with their children. While some siblings, including Susan, seemed to accept the reunion relatively easily, others, like Jane and Lee-Ann, felt alienated and emotionally distant from their parents. Susan, however, appeared to have quickly adapted to the reunion, despite the long separation and the complex emotions involved in reconnecting with parents who had previously abandoned them.
The Darker Chapter: The Murder of John Sabine
The more disturbing part of the Sabine family’s story was revealed years later, after Leigh Ann’s death in 2015. It was then discovered that she had killed her husband, John, in Wales, where the couple had returned after their brief time in New Zealand. Leigh Ann had buried his body in the garden, and it was only after her death that investigators unearthed his mummified remains. The body had been concealed for 18 years, with Leigh Ann having claimed that her husband had abandoned her, continuing to collect money under the false pretense that he was still alive.
The Impact on Susan and Her Siblings
The impact of this revelation on Susan and her siblings has been profound. They had already endured emotional scars from their abandonment, and learning about the murder of their father added another layer of trauma to their difficult history. In interviews following the discovery of their father’s body, Susan, like her siblings, described feelings of betrayal, loss, and confusion, knowing their mother had committed such a heinous crime while they were being raised in foster care.
Legacy and Media Attention
The story of the Sabine family’s tumultuous journey has been chronicled in a Sky TV documentary series titled The Body Next Door. This three-part series delves deep into the tragic events surrounding Leigh Ann’s abandonment of her children and the eventual murder of her husband. The documentary brings to light the complexity of the emotions involved in the reunion between the Sabine children and their parents and provides a deeper understanding of the enduring psychological effects of parental abandonment and the dark family secret that went undiscovered for years.
FAQs
Who is Susan Sabine?
Susan Sabine is one of the five children of Leigh Ann and John Sabine, who were initially from Wales. In the late 1960s, the family moved to New Zealand, where Leigh Ann and John abandoned their children in foster care before returning to the UK. Susan was one of the older children and was around 25 years old when her parents reunited with them in 1984. Over time, Susan’s story became widely known due to the shocking discovery of her father’s murder and the trauma surrounding the abandonment.
Why did Susan Sabine’s parents abandon her and her siblings in New Zealand?
Leigh Ann and John Sabine’s decision to abandon their children in New Zealand was influenced by financial struggles and instability. In 1969, they moved from the UK to New Zealand with their five children. After facing severe financial issues, they made the decision to leave the children behind in foster care while they went to Australia in search of work. This decision deeply impacted the Sabine children, leaving them to grow up without their parents in their lives.
How did Susan Sabine feel about being abandoned in New Zealand?
Susan, along with her siblings, faced significant emotional hardship as a result of being abandoned by their parents. Growing up in foster care without the security of a stable family home, Susan struggled with feelings of abandonment and a loss of identity. Despite these challenges, Susan seemed to have adapted more easily than some of her siblings when her parents returned to New Zealand in 1984. However, the emotional scars from their early years remained.
What happened when Susan Sabine was reunited with her parents?
In 1984, after a long separation, Leigh Ann and John Sabine returned to New Zealand and reconnected with their children. While some of the children accepted their parents back into their lives relatively easily, Susan’s younger siblings found it harder to reconcile with the parents who had abandoned them. Susan, being older at the time, had a more complicated relationship with the reunion, as she was both relieved to have her parents back and conflicted by the pain of their absence during her childhood.
What is the connection between Susan Sabine and the murder of her father?
The most disturbing part of Susan Sabine’s story is the murder of her father, John Sabine, by her mother, Leigh Ann Sabine. In 1997, Leigh Ann killed her husband and buried his body in the garden of their home in Wales. It was only after Leigh Ann’s death in 2015 that John’s mummified body was discovered. The revelation shocked Susan and her siblings, who were already dealing with the trauma of being abandoned by their parents and then reunited under strained circumstances.
In Summary
Susan Sabine’s life has been defined by abandonment, trauma, and the shocking discovery of her father’s murder. Growing up without the security of a stable home and being left behind by her parents in New Zealand has had a lasting emotional impact on her and her siblings. The later revelation of her mother’s violent actions further complicated their family history, adding layers of psychological and emotional difficulty to Susan’s already complex life. As the story unfolds through documentaries and media coverage, the emotional toll on Susan and her siblings remains a poignant reminder of the deep scars left by abandonment and deception. The tragic journey of the Sabine family continues to captivate audiences and serves as a cautionary tale about the long-term effects of parental neglect and betrayal.
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