Who was Muriel McKay?
Muriel McKay, wife of Rupert Murdoch’s deputy Alick McKay, moved to Wimbledon, south London with her husband in 1956. The 55-year-old had three grown children and four grandchildren.
Due to a failed attempt to extort £1m, Muriel was mistakenly taken by her abductors, who believed she was Mr. Murdoch’s wife Anna. The confusion stemmed from the fact that Mr. Murdoch had lent the McKays his Rolls Royce.
What happened to Muriel McKay?
Mrs. McKay was kidnapped and forced into a car while returning home on December 29, 1969. Dianne, her daughter, later learned more about the incident from one of the abductors.
“For years I’d gone over the question of ‘how did my mother let the men – who looked pretty rough – into the house?’ He told me quite simply – she was outside.
She saw them coming. She ran inside and picked up the phone, but didn’t put the chain on. So that’s how they got in.”
The family received numerous phone calls demanding payment and containing threats to harm Mrs McKay. A large-scale police effort surrounded Rooks Farm in Stocking Pelham, Hertfordshire.
According to Mrs McKay’s grandson Mark Dyer, an unknown caller from a pub payphone claimed that Mrs McKay had been killed. Despite extensive searches of Rooks Farm in 1970, Muriel McKay’s remains were not located.
Who Killed Mrs. McKay?
On 7 February 1970, Arthur Hosein, the owner of Rooks Farm, and his younger brother Nizamodeen Hosein were apprehended.
They were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the abduction and killing of Muriel McKay, in one of the UK’s earliest murder trials where the body wasn’t found. While Arthur passed away in custody, Nizamodeen was sent back to his home country of Trinidad after completing his term.
After the murder convictions, the case became inactive and the family attempted to continue with their lives. However, in 2021, Sky produced a documentary called The Wimbledon Kidnapping, featuring a recent interview with Hosein in Trinidad. This prompted Mr Dyer to initiate a fresh investigation.
He said, “I saw a man who wants to come clean”.
Together with his mother Dianne, he enlisted the help of a lawyer in Trinidad to establish a relationship with Hosein. Before they knew it, they were communicating through video calls, and according to them, “Nizam revealed everything.”
The family stated that Hosein confessed to abducting Mrs. McKay but alleged that she passed away from a heart attack after watching a television plea from her relatives.
Muriel McKay’s Granddaughter Faces Her Killer
According to Hosein, the brothers concealed Mrs McKay’s body under a sizable pile of manure near the barn after she passed away unexpectedly. He indicated the specific spot on a map of Rooks Farm, which is currently known as Stocking Farm.
During March of 2022, the Metropolitan Police conducted a thorough investigation of Stocking Farm, with consent from the owner.
Despite the involvement of forensic archaeologists and anthropologists, no human remains were found. Mrs. McKay’s family believed that the police focused on the incorrect location and did not conduct a comprehensive search.
Dianne and Mr Dyer traveled to Trinidad in January 2024 to meet Hosein face-to-face and obtain specific details on the location of Mrs McKay’s burial site.
By March 2024, Hosein had informed the BBC that he was willing to journey to Hertfordshire and physically indicate the precise spot where she was laid to rest.
“I’m willing to give a resting place to the family, peace of mind – as you would say,” he said
According to a representative for Ian Marsh, the owner of Stocking Farm, he expresses deep sympathy for the family and hopes they can find solace in the wake of this tragedy. Additionally, he maintains frequent communication with the Metropolitan Police regarding this issue.
