Her disappearance and murder sparked a media frenzy, with the ensuing investigation and court case being one of the most closely followed in South African history.
[4][5][6] Shortly after the kidnapping, a ransom demand was made to her father, who dropped off R50,000 near the Grasmere Toll Plaza south of Johannesburg.
[3] On 21 July 2004, her body was discovered by a municipal worker cutting grass in the open veld next to the R82 highway in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg.
Moodley said shortly after he extorted the R50,000 from her father he was unsure what to do with her, and then took her to a deserted field in Walkerville and shot her in the back of the head.
[14] On 25 November 2009, another application filed in the Johannesburg High Court for leave to appeal his sentence was dismissed by Judge Joop Labuschagne.
[23] On 1 February 2012, an application filed in the Johannesburg High Court for his conviction to be set aside or a retrial was dismissed by Judge Joop Labuschagne.
[24][5][21][18][25] Piet Byleveld, the investigating officer who arrested Moodley, retired from the South African Police Service in 2010.
[11][26][27] In July 2012, the murder was covered in two episodes of the M-Net Crimes Uncovered crime docu-drama television series titled "A Family's Nightmare Begins: The Leigh Matthews Story (Part 1)" and "A Web of Lies: The Leigh Matthews Story (Part 2)".