'Muriel McKay's murderers stole our pigs'

Irene Harvey said the case inspired her to join Hertfordshire Police, when she was 17

A woman has said the murderers of Muriel McKay "stole" pigs from her family farm shortly before they carried out their abduction.

In December 1969 Mrs McKay was held hostage and killed at Rooks Farm, Stocking Pelham, Hertfordshire, after being mistaken for the then-wife of newspaper tycoon Rupert Murdoch.

Irene Harvey, 66, said the murderers Nizamodeen and Arthur Hosein "wanted the pigs to eat the body. I think that is what happened".

Mrs Harvey’s family owned Curly Tail Pig Farm, in Colliers End, which is about 10 miles (16km) from Rooks Farm, now known as Stocking Farm, where police officers have finished their latest unsuccessful search to find the remains of Mrs McKay.

Police carried out a large search of Rooks Farm in 1970, now Stocking Farm, in Stocking Pelham but did not find a body

Mrs Harvey described how she made the murderers, who "did not strike her as farmers", a cup of tea when they came to the farm when she was alone one Sunday.

They asked to buy 18 Cambrian pigs but Mrs Harvey, who was 11 at the time, said the pigs were supplied to Sainsbury’s and not for sale.

She asked Nizamodeen Hosein to write his name and the address and he added the demand to purchase 18 pigs.

It is believed Muriel McKay was abducted as she arrived back at her home in Wimbledon, south London

The next day the family noticed all the pigs had been released from their pens and 18 were missing.

A year later when Mrs Harvey saw the murderers on television she said she was "absolutely horrified" and finally told her parents about the visit.

She rang the police which came to pick up the handwritten note she had kept. She said officers were "well chuffed with that" as it was "exactly the same writing" as used for the ransom note.

Irene Harvey has kept many newspaper articles from the case, including clippings from Hertfordshire Mercury from 28 November 1969

Mrs Harvey's father, Ronald Cooper, 88, who now lives on the Isle of Wight, said he had no idea at the time why the pigs were taken but "they must have used them to dispose of her (Mrs McKay)".

Paul Francis, 73, a retired Hertfordshire police officer, was involved in the search at the farm, for Mrs McKay’s body.

Paul Francis joined Hertfordshire Police aged 17

He said he searched "the open fields with sticks or staffs to look for any open ground", which may have been disturbed.

But he said other officers were searching amongst the hay and pig muck as "there was a rumour going round that she could have been fed to the pigs".

He said it was a "strong possibility" because if you cannot find the body you would have to consider it was either eaten, buried or down a well.

The Met Police searched Stocking Farm for about eight days

The third search to find Mrs McKay's body, was completed on 22 July, and the Met said no further searches would be carried out.

Police searches were carried out first in 1970, then 2022 and the final one in 2024