Muriel McKay detectives will begin Hertfordshire farm dig in July
Police will commence a dig at a farm in July where the murderer of Muriel McKay claimed he buried her body.
Ms McKay, the wife of a newspaper executive, was kidnapped and held to ransom for £1 million in a case of mistaken identity by thugs who had intended to target the wife of Rupert Murdoch.
She was abducted 54 years ago however her body has never been found despite extensive searches at the farm in Stocking Pelham, Hertfordshire.
Trinidadian brothers Nizamodeen and Arthur Hosein were jailed in 1970 over her death in what was one of the first murder convictions without a body.
In a letter to Ms McKay’s family this week, Detective Superintendent Katherine Goodwin from Scotland Yard confirmed the dig will start after detectives flew to Trinidad and Tobago to speak to Nizamodeen.
She wrote in the correspondence: ‘This week we had our first meeting with Hertfordshire police, who confirmed that they will be supporting the excavation with resources, staff and expertise.
Muriel Frieda McKay, 55, wife of the deputy chairman of the News of the World, who was kidnapped and killed in 1969. Her body has never been discovered
Nizamodeen Hosein met with daughter Dianne and grandson Mark to show them where he claimed to have buried her body 55 years ago
Stocking Farm, formerly known as Rooks Farm, in Stocking Pelham, Hertfordshire was Ms McKay’s body was thought to have been buried
‘Although there is no fixed date to commence the search, we are collectively working towards sometime in July, subject to the plan coming together.’
In the letter seen by The Times, she said that the operation will involve specialist search teams, forensic archaeologists as well as forensic experts and a structural engineer to assess safety issues involving the barn under where it is thought McKay is buried.
In response, Ms McKay’s family wrote: ‘In addition, Nizam has also indicated that he should be at [the farm] to show us where he hid Muriel after she had died.
‘Nizam has a valid passport and the family are happy to arrange flights and accommodation so that he can assist the family and police in finding Muriel. For completeness it makes sense for him to be present as he was the last person to see Muriel alive.’
Ms McKay was 55 years old when she was kidnapped in London and held to ransom by the Hosein brothers who had mistaken her for Anna Murdoch, the then-wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
She was the wife of Mr Murdoch’s deputy Alick McKay, who like Mr Murdoch was Australian.
Detectives visited Nizamodeen in Trinidad and Tobago, where he was deported after serving his 20-year jail sentence, to speak to him in person after his offer to show her family where she was buried. Meanwhile, Arthur died in prison in 2009.
Ms McKay disappeared in December 1969 and was traced to Stocking Farm near Bishop’s Stortford, but her body was never found.
In February, Ms McKay’s daughter Dianne McKay, 84, and grandson Mark Dyer, 59, flew to Trinidad and Tobago after Nizamodeen said he was willing to tell them where she had been buried.
Police had searched an area of the farm in 2022 (pictured), but Nizamodeen Hosein claims they searched the wrong area
Muriel’s daughter, Dianne (pictured, left), has for years fought to learn the truth of her mother’s murder, travelling recently to Trinidad with her son Mark Dyer (right) to speak with one of her killers, Nizamodeen Hosein (pictured, centre)
Nizamodeen Hosein pointed to a spot on a photograph of the farm where Muriel was held, and told her daughter: ‘This is where I buried her.’
He told them she was buried at the back of the farm where he and his brother had held her hostage.
The farm was searched at the time of the murder and again in 2022, with 30 police officers, ground penetrating radar and specialist forensic archaeologists used. However, nothing new was found.
In December last year, Ms McKay’s family were provided with new information by Nizamodeen about the possible whereabouts of her remains.
He also shared information, including footage, with the Metropolitan Police investigation team who visited after the family.
The decision to search the farm again was made after the investigation team visited Nizamodeen to speak to him in person and interviewed him over three days following his offer to show her family where she was buried.
Speaking previously, Mr Dyer said he was ‘delighted’ and ‘had to take a deep breath’ when he found out that police would conduct a fresh search in a spot under a barn that has since been built in the spot where Nizamodeen said Ms McKay was buried.
He said: ‘We are going to meet with the farm owner and the police to plan it. The officer said it will happen within the next six weeks.
‘It’s been an incredible effort by our family to prompt and nudge the police but ultimately we are glad they are taking this step.
Brothers Arthur, left, and Nazamodeen Hosein were found guilty of her murder. Arthur died in prison in 2009, while Nizam was deported after serving a 20-year-prison sentence
The abduction is believed to have involved a case of mistaken identity – with the kidnappers intending to seize Anna Murdoch, first wife of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch (pictured)
‘It is a success but it is only half a job done. We just want to find my grandmother and bury her at my mother’s farm. This ghastly mystery has haunted us all our lives.’
Commander Steve Clayman from The Met said officers will search an area where a manure heap once stood. But he stressed they had concerns about inconsistencies in Nizamodeen’s account.
He said: ‘I’d like to thank Muriel’s family for their patience while we have taken time to really carefully consider all the information gathered in relation to this case. I know it has been a frustrating time for them.
‘We have decided we will carry out a further search at the Hertfordshire farm where it is believed Muriel’s remains may be. We carried out an extensive search there in spring 2022 but unfortunately it was unsuccessful.
‘Our recent inquiries mean other areas have been highlighted as being of potential interest and it is these we will search.
‘The main area is where a manure heap once stood – we know now this was probably larger than we previously thought and therefore that area was not entirely searched in 2022.
‘While we have concerns about inconsistences in the account provided by Nizamodeen Hosein, for completeness, we want to do this.
‘At this stage we have not set a date for the search to begin, but will keep Muriel’s family updated and informed.
The owners of the farm in Hertfordshire (pictured) said in a statement: ‘We have at all times provided the police with access to our land and granted permission to dig when requested by them’
Alick McKay makes an appeal from his home in Wimbledon for the safe return of his missing wife Muriel, on 9th January 1970. He is accompanied by his son Ian and daughters Jennifer (left) and Dianne (right)
‘The owners of the farm are fully aware and supportive and we thank them for their continuing help and co-operation.
‘We all share a hope and desire to find Muriel’s remains and bring some closure to her family after all these years.
‘We sincerely hope the search is successful. However, we have informed the family that if Muriel’s remains are sadly not found, it would not be proportionate to carry out any further searches or investigations.’
The owners of the farm said in statement released by The Met: ‘Our position has been consistent from the very first request of the family of the late Mrs McKay for a dig at our home. We have always said that this is a police matter – they are the experts in investigating evidence and determining its credibility.
‘We have at all times provided the police with access to our land and granted permission to dig when requested by them, including when we have not been obliged to do so.
‘We agreed to support the decision of the police, whatever it was. They have now made their decision, which we respect, although we understand from the police that this was a finely judged call considering the unreliability of the evidence provided by the murderer.
‘In fact, the evidence is insufficient for the police to apply for search warrant. It now means that once this dig is concluded there will be a close to the debate and that no further searches on our land will happen.’
