Joanna Yeates‘ heartbreaking murder at the hands of Vincent Tabak is revisited in Disney+’s latest true crime series, leaving viewers asking what happened to the people closest to the case.
Joanna’s disappearance shocked the UK in December 2010 and Disney’s 20/20 Britain’s Most Notorious Crime Investigations looks back at the devastating events.
The landscape architect had spent the evening with friends before leaving a bar at 8.30pm. She then stopped to buy a supermarket pizza on her way home.
But Joanna never made it safely home.
Her boyfriend Greg Reardon returned from a weekend away two days later and discovered their Bristol flat was empty, prompting him to raise the alarm.
Joanna Yeates: The Killer Next Door revisits the huge police investigation that followed.
On Christmas Day, Joanna’s body was discovered buried beneath snow. Detectives eventually uncovered the shocking truth that the killer had been living right next door.
Neighbour Vincent Tabak murdered Joanna. But where are he, his former girlfriend Tanja and Joanna’s boyfriend Greg now?
Joanna Yeates: The Killer Next Door on Disney+
Joanna Yeates: The Killer Next Door is the second episode in Disney+’s new series, 20/20 Britain’s Most Notorious Crime Investigations.
The six part series revisits crimes that stunned the UK. The opening episode focuses on the tragic 1991 disappearance of toddler Ben Needham in Greece.
Karen Thomas, a former Detective Constable with Avon and Somerset Police, explains how Joanna’s disappearance unfolded.
“Joanna was a young attractive blonde girl from a posh part of town and nobody has a clue where she is,” Karen says.
“By the time her boyfriend Greg had reported her, she’s already been missing for a couple of days. It was really cold that winter. She wouldn’t have just gone out without her coat, without her bag and her phone.”
The documentary also shows eerie footage from inside Joanna and Greg’s empty Bristol flat. Greg’s emotional 999 call is also played.
Eight days after Joanna disappeared, her body was found beside a roadside five miles away on Christmas Day.
Who killed Joanna Yeates?
Police first arrested Joanna’s landlord Christopher Jeffries, with suspicion quickly falling on him because of his eccentric personality.
Vincent Tabak, who lived in a neighbouring flat, even tried to direct suspicion towards Christopher.
DC Thomas recalls in the documentary: “I received a call on the mobile and it was Tanja, Vincent Tabak’s partner, the neighbours of Joanna and Greg. They were in Holland for Christmas.
“Vincent came on the phone and told me that Jeffries had moved his car overnight at the time Joanna went missing.”
DC Thomas travelled to the Netherlands on New Year’s Eve to take a witness statement from Tabak. He explained that his girlfriend Tanja had been out on the evening Joanna disappeared.
He also claimed he had travelled some distance to an ASDA to buy beer and crisps. DC Thomas found the journey unusual because there was a Tesco much closer.
‘A gut feeling’
“Gut feeling is a real genuine feeling,” DC Thomas says in Joanna Yeates: A Killer Next Door. “I started to build an image in my mind of man who was hiding something and trying to stitch up the man we had in custody.”
DC Thomas says Vincent then started asking questions about the forensic evidence from Joanna and Greg’s flat.
“Inside my heart was going ten to the dozen,” she says. “I was sitting there thinking, ‘This could be our guy. This could be our killer’.”
Her instincts proved correct. DNA evidence later confirmed Tabak did kill Joanna. A post mortem found she had been strangled.
A jury found Tabak guilty of Joanna’s murder in October 2011. He received a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years. In 2015, he also admitted four counts of possessing indecent images of children.
He received a 10 month prison sentence to run alongside his life sentence. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.
Christopher Jeffries later received an apology and compensation from Avon and Somerset Police. He also secured substantial damages in several libel and privacy cases.
Where is Joanna Yeates’ boyfriend Greg now?
Greg Reardon does not feature in 20/20 Britain’s Most Notorious Crime Investigations.
He gave a single interview after Tabak was jailed in 2011, describing Joanna to The Sun as “very likeable and easygoing”.
Greg also said he believed they would probably have married.
“Now the trial is over, I’m ready to start afresh and get on with my life,” Greg said. “I’m not sure specifically what I’ll do to remember Jo in the future, but I’m certainly not going to forget her.”
Greg continues to work as an architect in the South West of England. He is now an Associate Director at his company and has recently qualified as a Passivhaus Designer. The qualification focuses on creating highly energy efficient buildings.
His company biography says: “Outside the office, Greg is a keen skier and cyclist, can be seen championing sustainable modes of transport or cooking a mean roast dinner.”
In 2011, Greg completed a sponsored cycle ride for the charity Missing People and raised almost £6,000 in Joanna’s memory.
Where is Vincent Tabak’s girlfriend Tanja now?
Tanja initially remained by Tabak’s side. The couple lived next door to Joanna and Greg in a two bedroom flat.
Her Harvard educated father Geoffrey, a US attorney, confirmed they were still together after Tabak’s arrest.
“The idea that they split up before Christmas is wrong. That’s even more absurd than the theory she is abroad,” he said.
However, Tanja released a statement after Tabak received his life sentence. Her father also spoke of his sadness at being “fooled” by Tabak.
Tanja said to the Sunday Mirror: “I would like to extend my deepest sorrow and sympathy to the Yeates family for their loss.
“I am thankful to the judge, the jury, the barristers and solicitors for all their ongoing attention and professionalism.”
Geoffrey also admitted: “He fooled us. He fooled everybody. There was a guardian angel for us, but not unfortunately for Joanna.”
Tanja worked as a financial analyst at Dyson’s headquarters in Wiltshire when Joanna was murdered. She now works as an International Treasury Director for a global insurance broker.
- 20/20 Britain’s Most Notorious Crime Investigations, featuring Joanna Yeates: A Killer Next Door, is available now on Disney+. US viewers can watch on Hulu.
- Joanna Yeates: A Killer Next Door is streaming now on Disney+. It is also available for viewers in the US on Hulu.
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