A twisted killer who murdered at least two women sent chilling texts to a friend detailing how he disposed of their bodies, while using a horrifying online alias that revealed his depraved nature. Mark Brown, a 41-year-old builder, was convicted of two murders, though the body of his first known victim, Leah Ware, has never been recovered.
Calculated Concealment of Crimes
Former Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Dal Babu explained in a new Channel 4 documentary about the case that finding a body becomes incredibly difficult when perpetrators go to extreme lengths to avoid detection. "Bodies can be mutilated. They can be cut up. They can be burnt. They can be put into acid and then decompose over time," he stated, highlighting the challenges investigators faced.
Leah Ware's Tragic Story
Animal-lover Leah Ware believed she had found happiness when she met a man online who lived nearby and owned farmland where she thought she could indulge her passion for horse-riding. Tragically, Brown kidnapped her and imprisoned her in a filthy shipping container where he subjected her to sexual assaults before ultimately killing her.
Leah's cousin, Alice Barnard, told the documentary Social Media Monsters that the family had believed the positive stories Leah posted on Instagram about her new life. "Everything I saw about Leah living life on the farm may have been true in the beginning but it wasn't true later," she revealed. "She was locked away in a metal cabin inside a shipping container with three locks on the outside."
Brutal Disposal Methods
After luring two victims to his East Sussex farm, Brown killed them and burned their remains, casually telling a friend: "It's a very unpleasant thing to do - an old oil drum, five litres of diesel, and hey presto, there's not very much left." Investigators did manage to find remains of Leah's beloved Pomeranian dog, Lady, who had been tied to a weight and drowned in a lake on Brown's property.
Clinical psychologist Dr Roberta Babb described Brown's methods as "a really brutal way to dispose of someone." She added: "He not only took someone's life, but he also burnt their body. There's no regard for human life. It's calculated. It's brutal. It's emotionally detached. And it takes a person with very strong antisocial tendencies to behave in such a way."
Compartmentalised Double Life
Despite concerns from Leah's family, Brown might have escaped justice entirely. Leah had been reluctant to share details about the new man in her life, and her family hadn't even heard his name until the murder investigation began. He was only caught when, six months after Leah's disappearance, he lured another woman to the remote East Sussex farmhouse located five miles from where he actually lived with his wife and family.
Dr Babb noted: "The fact that Mark Brown had a family that was functioning and was also able to keep a girlfriend separate says a lot about him. It really highlights his ability to compartmentalise parts of his life and really reflects a calculated, emotionally detached person."
The Second Victim's Precautions
The identity of Brown's second victim has been withheld to protect her family, though the documentary refers to her as "Jane." While Brown had successfully groomed Leah to the extent that she moved into his dilapidated farmhouse with few precautions, Jane proved more cautious. Police discovered messages from Brown offering her £100,000 for "filming work" at his farmhouse, but before travelling from her Kent home, she left a "box of clues" in case something happened to her.
Libby Clark of the CPS explained: "She left a note addressed to one of her sons. It said 'Let's go rollerblading.' That was a clue to go to a box under a TV in his bedroom where his rollerblades were kept. In that box there was £2,000 in cash - a significant sum for Alex - and there was a note we've called something of a 'breadcrumb trail'. There was a mobile phone and a PIN number." Crucially, the box also contained a piece of paper with the postcode of Little Bridge Farm written on it.
Critical Evidence Uncovered
Former Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Parm Sandhu revealed the breakthrough evidence: "During the investigation, police officers spoke to Mark Brown's co-workers and one remembered that Mark had asked if he could throw something into one of the skips. It was actually an oil drum. Something had been burnt inside that oil drum. When they were searching, they found some jewellery, some partial remains, and some teeth. When those remains were examined, they were identified as belonging to the woman that was missing."
It wasn't until police conducted a second search of Brown's van that evidence of the previous murder emerged - a crumpled prescription with Leah Ware's name printed on it. Dal Babu expressed little doubt that after committing the second murder, Brown would have been "looking for his next victim," adding that he wouldn't be surprised to learn Brown had killed before but managed to erase any trace.
Revealing Online Identity
While Brown showed considerable caution in some aspects, he paradoxically advertised his guilt publicly through his online identity. Digital forensics expert Vicky Saunders explained: "Lot of people use usernames that mean something to them and they can be quite telling. So, for example, people might use their football club or a pet name or a date of birth and it's easier for them to remember and it's personal to them. And Mark Brown's was quite telling."
The killer had used the name "Fisty McRapist" not only as his Instagram handle but also as his work email address. When arrested, police discovered he had already begun grooming a third woman online, reconnecting with old schoolfriend Beth Howard and telling her: "[I] only want friendship and don't judge any of the wrongs in my past please xx" and "You do deserve better than me. You're amazing. I'd never want to hurt you."
Howard later reflected: "If Mark had wanted to kill me, I would never have seen it coming. When I think about it, it's chilling. People like him are not obvious monsters. They are hiding in plain sight." Brown was ultimately jailed at Hove Crown Court for life with a minimum term of 49 years, though Leah Ware's body remains undiscovered to this day.
