Muriel Mckay's grandson vows not to give up searching for her remains

Mark Dyer, the grandson of Muriel McKay, has expressed his determination to continue searching for his grandmother's remains, despite setbacks and personal frustrations with the police investigation.

Muriel was 55 when she was kidnapped in 1969, held for ransom and murdered; her body has never been found.

Dyer revealed his dissatisfaction with the police's handling of the investigation, describing their actions as "completely disrespectful". He says that despite the family's persistent efforts and the information they provided, the police have made little progress. "We've been disrespected all the time," Dyer said. "We don't trust these people, and they've got the power of the law on their side."

The MET Police said it would 'utterly refute any accusation' that it has treated the family disrespectfully.

Detective Inspector Katherine Goodwin who lead the search, told Greatest Hits radio on Monday that the police have been working with the best available evidence and intelligence, while expressing her regret over the situation. She stated: "This is absolutely not the result we wanted. Everyone working on this case wants to bring Muriel to her family so they can bury her."

One significant point of contention for Dyer is the police's decision not to bring Nizamodeen Hosein, the convicted perpetrator, to the UK to assist in locating McKay's remains. Hosein, who was deported after serving his prison sentence, cannot enter the UK without permission from the Home Office. "This is our investigation. So they only hijacked it," Dyer stated, expressing frustration with the police's lack of cooperation. However, DS Goodwin stated on Monday that the decision not to bring Hosein back to the UK was based on the reliability of the information provided and the necessity of such a move. She noted, "We've had numerous meetings with the Home Office...the inconsistencies in the information...make it unlikely that suddenly bringing him would provide any beneficial information."

Dyer also criticized the thoroughness of the search efforts, pointing out areas that were missed during the initial police investigation.

"I went out the back, we were showing how the dig was going. Myself and Ian Mackay, Muriel's son, my uncle, saw areas that were overlooked, which we thought should have been investigated."

DS Goodwin explained on Monday that that the police had adjusted their search based on new information and incorporated additional areas. She explained, "We have searched that extra bit that wasn't covered...we’ve overlaid all of those accounts...and none of them would lead us to say searching really far into the farm."

Despite the police's decision to halt the search, Dyer remains undeterred. "They never got the information. This is our investigation. We needed access to the farm. We won't be going to the police again," he asserted. He emphasized the importance of utilizing modern technology effectively, criticizing the reliance on traditional digging methods. "The ridiculous amount of digging has been with JCB. Now, how do you find someone using a JCB and digging three foot down? I thought it was all about scanners these days," he said. DS Goodwin explained on Monday that forensic archaeologists were employed to assess soil disturbance and that different parts of the land were searched using a range of techniques.

However, these setbacks have not diminished the family's resolve. "We will now over the next coming weeks hatch a plan and a legal plan to bring him Hosein to England. Once we've got that in play, we will then work out how we're gonna get him walking around the back of that garden," Dyer explained.

The determination to find closure for Muriel McKay remains strong. "We're gonna continue. Unfortunately, I didn't want to have to continue. I thought we might get a resolution either way this week, which would satisfy the family. Either we found her, or Nizam came over and we found her, or we didn't find her. At least we could have said we ticked all the boxes. Unfortunately, we've been left hanging out there," Dyer concluded.

Detective Superintendent Goodwin mentioned the challenges of the land's changed appearance over the years, which cast doubt on Hosein's ability to help. She emphasized that bringing a convicted murderer back to the UK would only be considered in exceptional circumstances if operationally required. And stated "We know how important that is to the family...I’m really disappointed that they don’t feel that we’ve done a thorough job."

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