Leanne’s friend Sarah arrives home and calls her friend, but was surprised to find out that her friend hadn’t returned. At approximately 5:20 p.m., Leanne’s mother decided to call her daughter’s cell phone and find out for herself why her daughter hadn’t returned home yet but got no answer.

At 7:00 p.m. that evening, Leanne’s mother decides that something is just not right and calls the local police department to report her young, beautiful daughter missing.

During the investigation and the intense search for 16-year old Leanne Tiernan, police knocked on more than 1,400 houses and 800 more along the route they believe Leanne took on her way home from the shopping trip. Police collected DNA samples from over 140 men in the area and executed 12 search warrants at various locations throughout the city of Leeds. 

As the search for missing 16-year old Leanne intensified, the police received several tips and unconfirmed sightings of her as far as the towns Doncaster and Blackpool. All tips and reported sightings led them no closer to her discovery. 

Months and months go by in the investigation, without any sign of Leanne. Her family, friends, and the public remain hopeful, until one terrible morning in August 2001. On August 20, 2001, a man named Mark Bisson was walking his two dogs in Lindley Woods when he came across the body of a young teenage girl, who was identified as Leanne Tiernan.