Bone Discovered in Five-Decade Search for Muriel McKay | ITV News

A single bone has been found during an independent search connected to the long-running disappearance of Muriel McKay. The discovery came after a ground scan on 5 March 2026. The family informed Filmogaz.com of the find.

Discovery and police response

The bone was uncovered in a garden on Bethnal Green Road in Hackney. Officers and the coroner were notified immediately. The Metropolitan Police said they are on scene and working to establish the origin.

How the search narrowed

Scans of the site identified two significant anomalies. One anomaly matched the location named by key witness Hayley Frais. Her disclosure followed a renewed £1m appeal for information.

Witness account and links to the 1960s

Frais is the daughter of Percy Chaplin, who ran a tailor’s shop there in the 1960s. She says her father confessed on his deathbed to links with criminal gangs. She believes those gangs may have been involved in the disappearance.

Chaplin employed Arthur Hosein, one of two brothers later convicted of the killing. Frais alleges Hosein moved the victim from a farm and hid remains in the shop. The family now think the remains could be buried in this East London garden.

Case background and previous searches

Muriel McKay was abducted in 1969 by criminals who mistakenly believed she was the wife of Rupert Murdoch. The kidnappers had planned to demand a £1m ransom. In fact, she was the wife of Murdoch’s deputy, Alick McKay.

Two men were subsequently jailed for murder. However, Ms McKay’s body was never recovered. Searches at a farm in Stocking Pelham, Hertfordshire, took place at the time. The site was searched again in 2022 and in July last year without success.

Next steps

Forensic work will now seek to determine whether the bone belongs to Ms McKay. Police said further examinations are under way. The family’s five-decade search may now enter a crucial new phase.