New search to begin at farm for remains of Muriel McKay who was murdered in 1969

A fresh search for the remains of Muriel McKay who was murdered in 1969 is due to begin at a farm on Monday.

Ms McKay, the wealthy wife of newspaper executive Alick McKay, was kidnapped and held ransom for £1 million more than 54 years ago. The pair who kidnapped her had mistaken her for Anna Murdoch, the then-wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Mr McKay, who was Mr Murdoch’s deputy, was also Australian. Ms McKay, 55, disappeared in December 1969 and was traced to Stocking Farm near Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire. Her body has never been found. Brothers Arthur and Nizamodeen Hosein were convicted of her kidnap and murder. Arthur died in prison in 2009, while Nizamodeen was deported to Trinidad and Tobago after serving his sentence. The farm was searched at the time of the murder and again in 2022, involving 30 police officers, ground penetrating radar and specialist forensic archaeologists, but nothing new was found. A fresh search is due to take place at the farm in Stocking Pelham, starting on Monday. The search will see officers from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command and forensic officers working together with forensic archaeologists and other specialists as well as Hertfordshire Police. The search is expected to take around five days but could be extended. An air exclusion zone will be in place during the dig, with no access to the farm or to a section of public footpath that runs through it.

Published: 15/07/2024 by Radio NewsHub