John Taylor was born on August 27, 1956, in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. He worked as a parcel delivery worker for Parcelforce and lived in Bramley, Leeds, on the same housing estate as Leanne Tiernan, within a mile of where she was last seen alive.

Known locally as "the pet man," Taylor kept a number of dogs and ferrets and sold pet food. He was also known to be a poacher. His only previous conviction was for theft of a suit when he was 15 years old, and he was considered by his neighbours to be trustworthy and "ordinary."

Taylor was a frequent user of lonely hearts advertisements, through which he met several women. Two former girlfriends who had met him through such ads reported to the police that he had driven past Lindley Woods in their company and boasted of poaching there regularly.

On November 26, 2000, 16-year-old Leanne Tiernan was abducted while returning home from a Christmas shopping trip in Leeds. She was last seen walking down an unlit path known as Houghley Gill.

Taylor abducted Leanne, took her to his home, tied her up with cable ties, and strangled her. He kept her body in cold storage for several months before burying it in Lindley Woods, near Otley. Her body was discovered on August 20, 2001, wrapped in a floral duvet cover, green plastic bin liners, and tied with twine. A dog collar was found around her neck, and her hands were bound with cable ties.

Forensic evidence linked Taylor to the murder. A hair found on the scarf used to strangle Leanne matched Taylor's mitochondrial DNA. Twine used to bind the body was traced to a unique batch sold to the public, with a matching sample found at Taylor's home. Cable ties found on Leanne's body were identified as being manufactured by a company that supplied them to the Royal Mail, Taylor's employer.

Taylor was arrested on October 16, 2001. He initially claimed that Leanne's death was an accident, stating he had picked her up by the scarf around her neck. However, the evidence contradicted his claims.

On July 8, 2002, Taylor pleaded guilty to the kidnap and murder of Leanne Tiernan and received two life sentences. The trial judge stated that Taylor should expect to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Further investigations revealed Taylor's involvement in two separate rapes committed in 1988 and 1989. He pleaded guilty to these charges on February 4, 2003, and received additional life sentences.

In 2018, Taylor was sentenced to a whole-life order for a series of other rapes and sexual assaults, meaning he is now unlikely ever to be released.

Taylor is also suspected in several other unsolved murders, including the 1992 murder of Yvonne Fitt, a Bradford sex worker, whose body was found in Lindley Woods, the same location where Leanne Tiernan was buried.