NZ Herald Morning Headlines | Saturday, March 21, 2026.
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Police have told the family of Muriel McKay that a bone discovered at a property linked to her disappearance 55 years ago “does not belong to a human”.
McKay, the wife of Alick McKay, an Australian newspaper executive, was kidnapped in Britain in 1969. A £1 million ($2.3m) ransom demandwas issued.
Brothers Arthur and Nizamodeen Hosein, were convicted of her murder and kidnapping 55 years ago, though her remains were never found.
Mrs. Muriel McKay murder suspects, Arthur Hosein (left) and Nazamodeen Hosein (right). Photo / Getty Images
On March 5, a scan was carried out in the garden of a house in Bethnal Green, east London, on behalf of the family.
The family became aware of the possible location after information provided by Hayley Frais, whose father ran a tailor shop on the site in Bethnal Green Rd where Arthur Hosein worked at the time of the killing.
She claimed her father, who told her on his deathbed that he noticed a strong smell at the premises, did not go to the police at the time because “he had a lot of dealings with the mafia, including the Kray brothers”, the notorious London gangsters.
On Friday afternoon, a family spokesman said that a bone had been discovered in the area indicated by Frais and that “the family believe this may be the remains of Muriel”.
McKay’s grandson, Mark Dyer, said that a nine-inch bone, which appeared to have been “sliced with a weapon or machine”, was discovered about 1.45pm on Friday.
The Metropolitan Police said officers attended the scene to “establish the origin” of the bone.
Less than four hours later, however, the force confirmed forensic specialists had concluded the bone “does not belong to a human”.
The 1969 kidnap case was the UK's first murder conviction without a body. Photo / Getty Images
The case was the UK’s first conviction for a murder without a body.
The brothers, who blamed one another for the plot, were convicted in October 1970. Arthur died in 2009, and Nizamodeen, after serving 20 years, was deported to Trinidad. McKay was kidnapped by the brothers, who mistook her for Anna Murdoch, wife of the media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who had just bought the Sun newspaper.
The Hoseins had been following Murdoch’s Rolls-Royce, unaware that it had been lent to his deputy, Alick McKay, McKay’s husband, while Murdoch was in Australia.
The brothers, armed with a billhook blade and twine, forced their way into McKay’s home and abducted her in their Volvo. They took her to Rooks Farm in Hertfordshire and demanded the equivalent of £20m ($45.7m) today.
They claimed to be part of the mafia, and sent letters from McKay and pieces of her clothing. It was one of the UK’s first ransom demands for money.
Police tracked them to the farm, where the brothers protested their innocence, but evidence, including handwriting and fingerprints, connected them to McKay. Police searched the farm for several weeks but did not find the body.
The family lost a High Court request in November last year to have a full survey conducted of the properties indicated by Frais.
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