Muriel McKay family ask to scan land pinpointed by killer

Killer Nizamodeen Hosein has pointed out the location he recalls burying Ms McKay's body

The family of a woman who was murdered more than 50 years ago want to scan the land where she may be buried.

Muriel McKay, 55, was abducted from her home in 1969 and held to ransom for £1m at a farm in Hertfordshire.

Nizamodeen Hosein was convicted of her kidnap and murder with his brother, Arthur. He was deported to Trinidad and Tobago after serving his sentence.

Hosein met Mrs McKay's family in January and confirmed to them the location he buried her body.

The killer had told them that the police searched the wrong place at the farm in Stocking Pelham near Bishop's Stortford.

• What happened to Muriel McKay?

Mrs McKay, the wife of a media executive, was kidnapped by the two brothers in 1969, and although they were convicted of her murder, her body has never been found.

The family's lawyer has now written to the landowner of the farm to ask if they can scan the area that Hosein has pinpointed, without the need for immediate digging.

In the letter the lawyer said the family's goal was "to search for and ultimately collect their relatives remains from your land".

The lawyers said in the letter: "Our client has been provided with the exact location of where the body was buried by the perpetrator himself."

The letter added that the "compelling new evidence" was passed to the police but the family wanted to carry out the search without their involvement to avoid "unwarranted publicity or media attention".

Representatives from the Metropolitan Police have been on the Caribbean island this month to speak with Hosein, who said officers previously dug for Mrs McKay's body in the wrong place.

The Met Police had undertaken a search of Rooks Farm - now known as Stocking Farm - in 2022, but nothing was found.

Muriel McKay was kidnapped from her London home on 29 December 1969

Metropolitan Police's Det Supt Katherine Goodwin said she empathised with the family and "how desperate they are to recover her remains".

She said: "The team have only recently returned from Trinidad and it is important that we appropriately assess all of the information we gathered following extensive interviews over three days.

"I also want to stress that we are keeping an open mind to all possible next steps."

She said the police will provide the family with a full update before the end of March after reviewing all gathered material.

The Met Police searched an area of Stocking Farm in 2022 but nothing was found