Lee Ford, born in 1968, was an unemployed builder and roofer residing in Carnkie, a village near Redruth, Cornwall, England. He married Lesley Ford in 1990, who had four children—Sarah-Jane (17), Anne-Marie (16), Steven (14), and Craig (13)—from a previous marriage. Together, Lee and Lesley had two children.

The family moved to Carnkie in 1998, seeking a fresh start. However, Ford's behavior became increasingly controlling and abusive. He isolated Lesley from her family and restricted her movements. Reports suggest that Lesley suspected Ford of sexually abusing her eldest daughters, Sarah-Jane and Anne-Marie. She confided in her brother about these suspicions and considered leaving Ford, but he managed to convince her to stay.

On August 30, 2000, following an argument with his wife Lesley, who had threatened to prevent him from seeing their two children, Lee Ford bludgeoned her with a rounders bat and subsequently strangled her with a rope. Over the next 24 hours, he systematically strangled each of his four stepchildren: Sarah-Jane (17), Anne-Marie (16), Steven (14), and Craig (13). Ford then concealed the bodies in a woodshed at the back of their property, wrapping them in sheets and covering them with lime. To maintain the facade, he told neighbors and the children's school that Lesley had left him and taken the children. He even sent his own two children to stay with relatives.

Weeks later, after Lesley's brother reported her missing, police visited the Ford residence. Panicking, Ford moved the bodies of Sarah-Jane and Anne-Marie to a shallow grave in a nearby field. He was arrested on October 4, 2000, after going on the run. During police interviews, Ford confessed to the murders but failed to provide a clear motive, stating he had "flipped." Investigators suspected that Lesley had discovered Ford was sexually abusing Sarah-Jane, which may have triggered the killings.

On May 24, 2001, at Bristol Crown Court, Ford pleaded guilty to five counts of murder and was sentenced to five life terms, with a minimum tariff of 27 years. As of April 2024, he remains incarcerated at HM Prison Durham, with eligibility for parole in October 2027.