Steve Ramsbottom first learnt of his sister's death after a reporter came to his door. Murdered back in 2019, Lesley Pearson was strangled to death by her gardener at her villa in Spain in a row over wages.
Growing up with her brother Steve in Manchester, neither siblings ever suspected that they may not actually be biologically related to one another. However, Steve has now revealed that detectives on the case found out that he and his sister had different fathers after taking a DNA sample from him.
Steve, 74, said: “I was gobsmacked. Me and Lesley were so close. People always said we were like chalk and cheese, but I never in a million years expected this. Lesley’s body was so decomposed; the Spanish police were struggling to identify her body. As her brother and only living relative, they asked me for a DNA sample. But the test showed we had different fathers! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing."
