The skulls of two women killed in the horrific “Jigsaw Murders” have been found in a university store cupboard.
Dr Buck Ruxton murdered his wife, Isabella, and their nanny, Mary Rogerson in 1935, in a gruesome case which led to a groundbreaking investigation.
Ruxton removed his victims’ eyes, teeth and parts of their fingertips in a bid to prevent detectives identifying them, dumping their remains in a ravine near the town of Moffat in the Scottish Borders.
He was found guilty of both murders and hanged at HMP Strangeways in March 1936 after an investigation revealed his expert knowledge of anatomy and attempt to remove all means of identifying the two women.
Now nearly 90 years later, scientists at the University of Edinburgh are appealing for the victims’ families to come forward after the rediscovery of some of their remains in an archive.
Professor of Anatomy, Tom Gillingwater, told the BBC: “We want to do the right thing by Isabella and Mary and, if appropriate, return them to their families so they can be laid to rest.”
Mary is believed to have relatives in Lancashire while Isabella’s sister, Jeannie Nelson, was living in Edinburgh at the time of the murder, according to the Daily Record.
Experts from Edinburgh University and Glasgow University helped to identify Isabella and Mary’s remains, as well as exposing Ruxton as the killer.
The case is known as the “Jigsaw Murders” because experts had to piece together the victims’ remains, which had been dismembered and badly mutilated.
Former Assistant Chief Constable Tom Wood, who has written a book about the case, described it as one of the most important criminal investigations of the last century.
He added: “Not because of the horror of the case and the dismemberment of the bodies, but because of the forensic science.
“Put simply, anything before the Ruxton case was ancient history. Anything after the Ruxton case is modern, integrated, forensic science-led investigation.”
Professor Gillingwater said: “Upon learning that Isabella Ruxton and Mary Rogerson’s remains were still being held within [the] university, we carefully considered the most moral and ethical course of action.
“While the circumstances under which the women’s remains came into our collections are not known, it is clear there have been huge changes in medical ethics since then, and we want to do what is morally right for the women and their family members.”
Tom Wood, Deputy Chief Constable and Director of Operations of Edinburgh and Lothians Police, said: “This was a tragic case, where two women were brutally murdered, but it was also transformational for modern-day policing.
“The professors who worked with the police at the time were critical in securing a conviction for the killer, and this was the first time forensic evidence was used to do so.
“I am pleased that the University of Edinburgh is working to return the women’s remains with their respective families, and I hope their relatives come forward.”
