Ronnie Kray affectionately signed a birthday card for one of Muriel McKay’s killers, calling him “the sweetest” and adding kisses. The card was presented to Nizamodeen Hosein by a group of inmates at Parkhurst prison following his conviction for Muriel’s murder in 1970. Recently, it was disclosed that Hosein confessed to visiting a tailor’s shop in the East End frequented by the Kray twins, where Muriel McKay’s family suspects she may have been buried.
Muriel, aged 55, was abducted on December 29, 1969, by Nizamodeen and his brother Arthur, who mistook her for Rupert Murdoch’s then-wife. The brothers demanded a ransom of £1 million for her safe return, but she vanished without a trace. Despite being sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and murder, they never revealed the whereabouts of Muriel. Ronnie Kray, already serving a life sentence for other murders, encountered Nizamodeen at Parkhurst Prison in 1970.
The birthday card, discovered by Muriel’s family in Nizamodeen’s home in Trinidad, features a reproduction of an oil painting titled “GOLD FOR A TORTOISESHELL” by Vernon Ward, depicting two butterflies landing on a yellow rose. Inside the card, a message reads: “Dear Niz, a very happy birthday from all your brothers.” Among the well-wishes is Ronnie Kray’s inscription: “To Niz, the sweetest, Ron xx.”
Nizamodeen recently suggested that Muriel might be buried on Arthur’s farm in Stocking Pelham, Herts, but searches yielded no results. Now, the family of Percy Chaplin, a tailor who crafted suits for the Kray twins, believes Muriel may have been buried in the garden of his shop in Bethnal Green, East London, where the notorious gangsters held sway.
Support for this theory comes from evidence revealed by the Mirror. A police statement from the National Archives shows that after his arrest in 1970, Nizamodeen mentioned visiting five tailors in London, including Percy Chaplin, on February 6 of that year. Nizamodeen, deported back to Trinidad after his release in 1990, claimed his brother spent time in Chaplin’s shop. Despite efforts to investigate the site, permission to conduct radar scans was denied by the property owners, prompting the family to pursue legal action for access.
Mark Dyer, Muriel’s grandson, expressed frustration over the obstacles in locating his grandmother, stating, “After 55 years, we may finally know where our mother is – but one locked door is stopping us.” He criticized the denial of access as cruel and unjustifiable, hindering their quest for closure.
Hayley Frais, Percy’s daughter, shared insights on the tailor shop theory, suggesting her father may have had knowledge of Muriel’s disappearance due to his association with the Kray brothers. She recounted a suspicious incident in December 1969 when a visitor brought a foul odor into the shop, leading Percy to suspect the remains of Mrs. McKay were briefly stored there before burial. Hayley emphasized the importance of a thorough search of the yard where the shop once stood.
The Metropolitan Police stated that investigations into Muriel McKay’s death have been ongoing, including searches conducted in 2022 and 2024.
