Hunt for relatives of Jigsaw Murders victims: University finds in storeroom bones of women killed in 1935 case that was solved with groundbreaking forensics

A search has been launched for the families of two women murdered 90 years ago after their skulls and bones were re-discovered in the storeroom of a university. 

Dr Buck Ruxton was hanged in 1936 for killing his common law wife and mother of his children Isabella Ruxton.

Their nanny Mary Rogerson was also killed, but charges for her murder were dropped against Ruxton before his trial.   

In a case that became known as the Jigsaw Murders, the dismembered bodies of the two women were found wrapped in pieces of newspaper.

At a time when forensic science was in its infancy, an expert from Edinburgh University helped build a case using groundbreaking techniques. Ruxton was hanged in 1936.

Now, the university has found that the skulls and other bones of Isabella and Mary are still in its archive, and want to trace the womens relatives. 

It has chosen to issue a public appeal because it is not known if Isabella and Buck Ruxtons three orphaned children - who were put into foster care - were told that their father had been put to death for murdering their mother. 

Isabella Ruxton was murdered by her husband Buck Ruxton in 1935. He was hanged for her murder the following year after groundbreaking forensic techniques identified her remains. Experts superimposed a photo of what was thought to be her skull over an earlier photo

Dr Buck Ruxton was hanged in 1936 for killing his common law wife and mother of his children Isabella Ruxton

Tom Gillingwater, Professor of Anatomy at Edinburgh, 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 that 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, author and former Deputy Chief Constable and Director of Operations of Edinburgh & Lothians Police, said: This was a tragic case, where two women were brutally murdered, but it was also transformational for modern-day policing. 

The Daily Mails report after Ruxtons appeal against his death sentence failed

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 womens remains with their respective families, and I hope their relatives come forward.

The case became so high profile that it allegedly inspired a song, sung to the tune of popular hit Red Sails at Sunset.

Red marks on the carpet / blood stains on the knife / Oh, Dr Ruxton, youve murdered your wife / You saw Mary peeping and murdered her, too / Oh Dr Ruxton theres a ropes end for you. 

The killings took place in Lancaster in September 1935. 

Body parts were then found in a river in Dumfries and Galloway. The newspaper they were wrapped in was found to only be available in Morecambe and Lancaster.

Dr Ruxton was questioned by police but denied that the bodies were those of Isabella and Mary.

But neighbours reported his behaviour had been unusual and his cleaner told police he had been asked to scrub the bathroom around the time of the disappearances.

She also said that the doctor had given her two blood-stained carpets and a pile of bloodstained clothing to burn.

But police still could not prove that the bodies were those of the missing women. 

Mary Rogerson was also murdered, but Ruxton was not found guilty of her killing

An image showing the skull of Isabella Ruxton with a photo of the woman superimposed above it 

Isabella was known to have prominent teeth and Mary had a squint in one eye. But the teeth had been extracted from the body believed to be Isabella, and the eyes were missing in the other.

Mary was ultimately identified using a new technique for analysing fingerprints. 

But because fingerprint evidence was unavailable for Isabella, police enlisted the help of Edinburgh University expert Professor J.C. Brash.

He devised a new technique to match the skull of the unidentified body with that of Isabella.

The anatomist enlarged pictures of her to life size and photographed the skull at different angles similar to those of the pictures. 

He was then able to superimpose the outline of the portraits with those of the skull, producing evidence of the amazing similarities between the two images. 

The identification proved crucial for Ruxtons prosecution.  

Ruxton was found guilty after a trial at the Assize Court in Manchester. Two months later, he was hanged at Manchesters Strangeways Prison after an appeal failed.

The bodies of Isabella and Mary were not returned to their families but were instead retained in Edinburgh Universitys anatomical collection.

The three young children of Isabella and Buck Ruxton, pictured in October 1935

Isabella Ruxton was last seen on September 14, 1935

It is assumed that they were kept for anatomical research.

They were re-discovered after a student in the Netherlands asked about the archive.

The experts than decided to try to return the remains to the womens families.

But the issue is complicated by the fact that Isabella and Buck Ruxtons children were fostered and may never have been told how their parents died. 

Professor Gillingwater said guidance from experts on ethics said that they should not be, approaching people who may not be aware that they were related to these ladies. 

He added: If there are any relatives of Isabella or Mary who believe that they would like to have the remains returned to them, we would be delighted to talk to them about what the next steps might be. 

Isabellas sister Jeannie Nelson was living in Edinburgh at the time of the murder. Mary had relatives in the Morecambe area. 

A section on the universitys website allows relatives to get in touch.  Go to https://www.ed.ac.uk/c/isabella-ruxton-and-mary-jane-rogerson.