Matthew Leili of Lawrenceville, Georgia equipped his family home with sophisticated surveillance cameras, phone taps, and put a tracking device in the car of his wife Nique Leili who he said was losing her mind. When she went missing on July 9, 2011, police questioned the husband and the couple’s two daughters. Matthew Leili told police that she left the house after they argued about her refusal “to wear an outfit for sex” and that her disappearance was “an attention seeking ploy.” Claiming Nique had abandoned the family, he filed for divorce on July 13. On July 16, several people gathered for a search except for Matthew Leili. Nique’s sister, who launched the search and posted Missing fliers around town, said “He [Matt] took down fliers, always getting in our way instead of helping us,” she said.
Matthew Leili was charged with the murder of Nique. During his trial, Matthew’s taped conversations with Nique’s brother-in-law Dallan Elk (who was married to Nique’s sister) were played. During the conversations, Matthew Leili compared Nique’s disappearance to The Runaway Bride, the woman who skipped her wedding and caused a national search in 2005. He also compared his position to Casey Anthony, the mother who was accused of killing her daughter Caylee in 2008. In February, he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. ABC 20/20 will air its investigative report on February 19 at 10pm.
