Where Vincent Tabak's girlfriend and Joanna Yeates' boyfriend are now as her murder is retold in new Disney+ documentary
Evil Tabak fooled everyoneJoanna Yeates‘ horrific murder at the hands of Vincent Tabak is retold in Disney+’s latest crime documentary series, but where are their partners now?
Joanna’s disappearance gripped the nation in December 2010 and Disney’s 20/20 Britain’s Most Notorious Crime Investigations relives that terrible time.
The landscape architect had left a bar following drinks with friends at 8.30pm, before stopping off to buy a supermarket pizza.
But then she vanished.
The alarm was only raised two days later when her boyfriend, Greg Reardon, arrived home from a weekend away to find their flat empty.
Viewers of the episode, called Joanna Yeates: The Killer Next Door, will be reminded of the huge manhunt that ensued.
Tragically, Joanna’s body was found buried in snow on Christmas Day. And eventually, police were led right back to her front door.
Joanna’s neighbour Vincent Tabak had murdered her. But where is he now, along with his girlfriend Tanja and Joanna’s boyfriend Greg?
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.
There are six standalone documentaries, all reliving horrific crimes that shocked the UK. The first looks back at the tragic 1991 disappearance of toddler Ben Needham in Greece.
Karen Thomas, a former Detective Constable for Avon and Somerset Police, explains Joanna’s disappearance in Joanna Yeates: The Killer Next Door.
“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.”
Eerily, footage of inside Joanna and Greg’s empty flat in Bristol is shown. Greg’s worried call to 999 also plays out.
Tragically, Joanna’s body is found on the roadside five miles away eight days later – on Christmas Day.
Who killed Joanna Yeates?
Initially, police arrested Joanna’s landlord Christopher Jeffries. All eyes were on him, unfortunately due to his eccentric nature.
Vincent Tabak, who lived in one of the neighbouring flats, even pointed the finger at 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 flew to the Netherlands on New Year’s Eve to get a witness statement from Tabak. He told her his girlfriend Tanja had been out on the night Joanna went missing.
He then claimed to have travelled some distance to an ASDA to buy beer and crisps. DC Thomas became suspicious by his “odd journey”, when there was a Tesco just up the road.
‘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 began asking her questions about the forensics of 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’.”
And she was right. DNA evidence later proved Tabak did kill Joanna. A post mortem found she had been strangled.
In October 2011, a jury found Tabak guilty of Joanna’s murder. He was jailed for life, with a minimum of 20 years. In 2015, Tabak also pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing indecent images of children.
Tabak was handed a 10 month prison sentence, to run concurrently with his life sentence. He was also added to the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.
Christopher Jeffries, meanwhile, received an apology and compensation from Avon and Somerset Police. He also secured substantial damages in multiple libel and privacy battles.
Where is Joanna Yeates’ boyfriend Greg now?
Joanna’s boyfriend Greg Reardon does not appear in 20/20 Britain’s Most Notorious Crime Investigations.
He gave one interview after Tabak was jailed in 2011. Speaking to The Sun, he described Joanna as “very likeable and easygoing”.
Greg said he would have very likely gone on to have married her.
“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 is still working as an architect in the South West of England. He is an Associate Director at the company he works for and has and recently qualified as a Passivhaus Designer. This is an international construction standard that focuses on creating ultra-energy-efficient buildings.
His company bio reads: “Outside the office, Greg is a keen skier and cyclist, can be seen championing sustainable modes of transport or cooking a mean roast dinner.”
Greg completed a sponsored cycle ride for the charity Missing People in 2011. He raised almost £6,000 in memory of Joanna.
Where is Vincent Tabak’s girlfriend Tanja now?
Initially, Tanja stood by Tabak. The couple lived next door to Joanna and Greg in a two-bedroomed flat.
Tanja’s Harvard-educated US attorney father, Geoffrey, confirmed his daughter was still in a relationship with Tabak following news of his 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 was jailed for life. Her father also shared his sorrow over being “fooled” by evil 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 was working as a financial analyst for Dyson’s head office in Wiltshire when Joanna was murdered. She now has a very high-paid job 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.
