Muriel McKay: Met police tell family search for remains of kidnap and murder victim at farm in Stocking Pelham was unsuccessful and their investigation is over
Police have told the family of Muriel McKay – kidnapped for a £1 million ransom and then murdered near Bishop’s Stortford more than half a century ago – that their eight-day search to find her remains has been unsuccessful.
No further searches at the farm in Stocking Pelham where she was believed to have been buried by her killers in early 1970 will take place and the Metropolitan police’s investigation is over.
Last Monday (July 15), a team from the Met began digging for the remains of the 55-year-old, who was snatched from her home in Wimbledon, south-west London, by mistake on December 29, 1969, by brothers Arthur and Nizamodeen Hosein.
The pair believed she was the wife of newspaper tycoon Rupert Murdoch and took her to their rundown home at Rooks Farm – since renamed Stocking Farm. Her husband Alick was Murdoch’s deputy.
Her body has never been found, but the brothers were nevertheless convicted of the mother of three’s abduction and murder.
Nizamodeen has since claimed that Muriel suffered a heart attack and was buried under a dung heap. In 2022 police again unsuccessfully searched the farm site, a 17th-century property set in 11 acres.
Muriel’s family asked Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to intervene so Nizamodeen could be brought to the excavation site to show detectives where he buried her body in early 1970. He is unable to visit the UK as a deportation order was imposed when he was freed from jail and sent back to his native Trinidad in 1990. The family wanted the commissioner to ask the Home Office to lift the order so he can help pinpoint the burial site.
Muriel’s family visited the farm last week, with her son Ian making the trip from his home in Australia to visit the site for the first time.
The BBC reported that Muriel’s grandson Mark Dyer said efforts to find her body were “pointless” without the help of her killer. He told them: “Our feeling as a family is that without the perpetrator, we are walking around blindfolded.”
On Monday (July 22), Det Supt Katherine Goodwin, of the Met’s specialist crime unit, said: “After eight days of searching, unfortunately we have not been able to find Muriel’s remains.
“We all shared a hope and desire we would find her burial site and bring some closure to her family, and I am so sorry we have not been able to do that. This is not the outcome any of us wanted.
“Since the beginning of last week, a team of detectives and specialist search officers have been working at the farm where it is thought Muriel may have been buried to carry out meticulous and detailed work to find her.
“The parameters for the search were set following very careful examination of all the evidence and information gathered by the investigation team, which included speaking to Muriel’s family and interviewing Nizamodeen Hosein in Trinidad. We are extremely grateful to the property owners for allowing us to search the land, causing considerable disruption to their daily lives.
“We have searched all the areas identified as the possible site for Muriel’s remains, including all of the former manure heap, and far beyond. This follows a search carried out at the farm in spring 2022 which unfortunately was also unsuccessful.
“We can conclusively say the information given by Hosein in the last two years is not correct, Muriel is not at the location he has indicated.
“We know questions have been raised about why we have not brought Hosein to the UK to assist with the search. Our view has always been that we do not believe it would provide us with beneficial information and therefore we would not formally approach the Home Office, who would be required to grant permission.
“We carefully reviewed this decision during the search and, based on Hosein’s reliability as a witness and the likelihood of a successful outcome, we stand by our original decision.
“As we have said previously, Muriel’s family are aware it would not be proportionate to carry out any further searches and that our investigation is now at an end. We are saddened that we were unable to bring them the closure they so desperately long for.”
The property owners said: “It is a very disappointing result not to have found the remains of Murial McKay. We granted permission for the dig in our garden, to support the family of the deceased to find closure to this tragic event, despite the evidence provided by the murderer being inconsistent and unreliable.
“The murderer provided guidance that he had buried the body at a certain spot, acknowledged by the family of the deceased. We are pleased that the family of the deceased attended the dig on multiple occasions to witness the professionalism, dedication and hard work of the police in excavating an area in excess of 250 sq m around the spot agreed by all parties.
“We have been told by the police that they have completed their search and will not seek permission for any future search at our home.”
SEARCH FOR MURIEL: Timeline
January-April 2022
Following contact from Muriel’s family, the Met’s specialist casework team took over the investigation. Information from the family, as well as information the Met held about the initial investigation and search at the time, was thoroughly reviewed.
Following that review, it was decided to search an area of the farm and that took place, with the permission of the owner, between March 29 and April 5, 2022. The search used 30 police officers, ground-penetrating radar and specialist forensic archaeologists. It followed an original search at the time of the murder, when 50-60 officers searched the property.
December 2022
The family wrote to the Met with concerns about the extent of the search and the case was reviewed by the specialist crime review group. The SCRG is a team entirely independent of the investigation team whose job is to undertake critical analysis and reviews of investigations to identity any further lines of enquiry.
The review took some months to complete, given the volume of material to analyse. It suggested using the skills of a specialist interview advisor to re-examine the accounts of Hosein, the man convicted of Muriel’s murder and kidnap in 1969, and help consider next steps.
This took place and the team carried out a range of actions including making further contact with officers who searched the farm in 1970.
December 2023
New information was provided by the family from Hosein about the possible whereabouts of Muriel’s remains. This was carefully considered by the specialist interview advisor.
January 2024
The family visited Hosein in Trinidad and shared information, including footage, with the investigation team.
March 2024
The investigation team visited Hosein in Trinidad to speak to him in person. He volunteered to help and was interviewed over the course of three days, with officers carefully considering their approach and strategy to achieve the best information possible.
On their return they analysed all the information gathered over time to come to the conclusion that a further search will be carried out.
July 2024
A detailed search – beyond the parameters suggested by Hosein – takes place at the farm over eight days but sadly is unsuccessful.
