Jigsaw murder remains laid to rest after appeal finds families

An X-ray of Isabella Ruxton's skull was a crucial piece of evidence in the case

The 90-year-old remains of two women that were discovered in an Edinburgh University storeroom, have been laid to rest after a BBC appeal to find their relatives.

The killing of Isabella Ruxton and Mary Rogerson made headlines in 1935 as the 'jigsaw murders'. They were killed in Lancaster and the bodies found in Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway.

The case broke new ground in forensic science when Edinburgh University helped build evidence against Dr Buck Ruxton, who was hanged for his wife's murder.

The university uncovered the women's skulls and some bones in its archive and located their families following the public appeal last year.

The university chose not to search for the families privately, because it was not known whether Isabella and Buck Ruxton's three orphaned children had been told that their father had been hanged for murdering their mother.

The two women were reported missing by Mary Rogerson's family

Newspaper reporters flocked to Dumfries and Galloway after dismembered and disfigured human remains were discovered beneath a bridge in Moffat.

The remains were sent to Edinburgh University, where forensic scientists and colleagues from Glasgow University pieced together the body parts.

Another investigation took place in Lancaster.

Dr Buck Ruxton had given various explanations for the disappearance of his wife Isabella and their nursemaid Mary Rogerson.

The popular GP had been jealous of his wife's friendship with other men.

Ruxton stood trial five months after the bodies were found

Investigators in Scotland made the link between the missing women and the remains in Moffat.

The bodies still had to be identified beyond doubt and their killer, who was known to have experience of surgery, had taken great care to make that as difficult as possible.

Ruxton’s efforts to avoid justice were defeated by groundbreaking forensic techniques which confirmed the remains were those of Isabella and Mary.

The identification was crucial to the prosecution case in what was described as "the trial of the century”.

Crowds gathered outside Strangeways Prison when Ruxton was executed

Ruxton was convicted of murdering his wife. He had also been accused of killing Mary but the charge was dropped before the trial.

Two months after he was found guilty, huge crowds gathered outside Manchester's Strangeways Prison when he was executed by hanging.

An Edinburgh University spokesperson said: "After an appeal to get in contact with the relatives of Isabella Ruxton and Mary Jane Robertson, the women's remains have now been laid to rest in line with their respective families' wishes.

"We would like to thank everyone involved in this sensitive project, as well as members of the public who got in touch.