Muriel McKay
About the Recipe
Muriel McKay was kidnapped from her Wimbledon home in 1969 after being mistaken for Rupert Murdoch’s wife, Muriel was held for ransom and murdered by the Hosein brothers. Her body was never found, making it one of Britain’s first “no body” murder convictions.
Victim name and age: Muriel Freda McKay (55)
Perpetrator name and age: Arthur Hosein (34) and Nizamodeen Hosein (22)
Incident: On 29 December 1969, Muriel was kidnapped from her home in Wimbledon after the brothers mistook her for Rupert Murdoch’s wife. She was held for ransom at a Hertfordshire farm and killed soon after abduction. Her body has never been found.
Outcome: Both brothers were convicted of kidnap and murder at the Old Bailey in 1970 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Arthur died in prison in 2009; Nizamodeen was deported to Trinidad after serving his term.
Location/Date: Arthur Road, Wimbledon, South London – 29 December 1969
Background & Context
Muriel Freda McKay was born 4 February 1914 in Adelaide, South Australia, and moved to the UK with her husband Alick McKay (a senior newspaper executive) in 1958. They lived in St Mary’s House, Arthur Road, Wimbledon, south-west London, in what was then a comfortable suburban household. The case became one of the UK’s most infamous kidnappings and murders partly because the body was never found, and the case was built on mistaken identity (the abductors believed they were taking Anna Murdoch).
The Perpetrators
Brothers Arthur Hosein and Nizamodeen Hosein were the perpetrators. Both originally from Trinidad. Arthur had bought Rooks Farm in Hertfordshire and was under financial pressure. The plan was to kidnap Anna Murdoch for ransom but the identity confusion led them to abduct Muriel instead.
Incident/Key Events
On 29 December 1969, the Hosein brothers broke into Muriel’s home in Wimbledon. Alick McKay returned home to an open door, removed telephone, overturned items, and found his wife missing.
They transported Muriel to Rooks Farm (near Stocking Pelham, Hertfordshire), and began a ransom campaign under the name “M3”, demanding £1 million.
Despite letters, clothing fragments and phone calls, no successful hand-over happened. Muriel’s body was never found.
Surveillance, tracking of the unusual car (Volvo) at the ransom drop location, and forensic evidence (matching notebook pages/tape/twine) linked the Hosein brothers to Rooks Farm.
Investigation
Police quickly upgraded the case from burglary to kidnap; items at the scene (twine, bill-hook, phone removed) gave early clues.
Surveillance, tracking of the unusual car (Volvo) at the ransom drop location, and forensic evidence (matching notebook pages/tape/twine) linked the Hosein brothers to Rooks Farm.
Despite extensive searches, Muriel’s remains weren’t found; the trial proceeded without locating the body.
Outcome
On 6 October 1970, at the Old Bailey, Arthur and Nizamodeen Hosein were convicted of kidnap and murder.
Both received life sentences (Arthur’s term 25 years plus life; Nizamodeen’s 15 years plus life). Arthur died in prison in 2009; Nizamodeen was later deported to Trinidad.
Aftermath
The case remains a haunting unsolved element: Muriel’s body still not found decades later. Families continue to campaign for closure.
In 2024 and beyond new searches at the farm have been made following new information from Nizamodeen.
The case became a landmark in UK legal history: conviction for murder without a body, media interest, and the vulnerabilities of even apparently secure suburban households.