2025 Progress

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1. In early June 2025 — the family offered a £1 million to the public (the reward has been raised by the family from a private benefactor) - matching the original ransom.
2. The family are contacted by 3 potential leads.
3. Lead 1: A woman living in a care home on end-of-life care, recalls that, around the time of Muriel’s disappearance, her neighbour had been digging in the patio area behind 53 Buntingford High Street in the middle of the night. Although police searched the area at the time, she later discovered they had focused on the wrong location. This lead was never pursued further.
4. Lead 2: A woman living at Crabbs Green Farm recalls that, as a child, her dog uncovered a large bone. She has long believed it could be connected to Muriel’s disappearance, as the farm lies only a few minutes’ drive from Stocking Farm.
5. Lead 3: This lead came from a brother and sister, now living in Israel, whose late father, Percy Chaplin, was a tailor who owned a shop at 447 Bethnal Green Road. During the time of the kidnapping, Arthur Hosein was employed there, along with another man named Jan. Jan had keys to the shop. Before his death, Percy shared a story with his children, instructing them not to reveal it until after he had passed, due to potential repercussions. He told them the following information:
   1. Before the kidnapping: Arthur repeatedly boasted that he was planning to kidnap someone famous.
   2. Night of the kidnapping (30 December 1969): Arthur failed to return completed work to Mr Chaplin’s shop. Concerned, Mr Chaplin asked a friend to take him to Rooks Farm (now Stocking Farm) to collect the outstanding work. Upon arrival, in a grey Hillman (driven by Mr Chaplin’s friend) the farm was dark, with no lights on and no answer at the door. Looking up at the house, Mr Chaplin saw a face in the top bedroom window, which he later suspected was Muriel.
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   3. The same evening: The McKay family received a phone call answered by David Dyer. The caller was Muriel, and the only part of the conversation David understood were the words “Grey Hillman” before the line went dead.
   4. A few days later: Mr Chaplin returned to the shop and was approached by Jan, who offered to sell him expensive jewellery — which Mr Chaplin later believed belonged to Muriel.
   5. Late January 1970: One morning, Mr Chaplin noticed a terrible stench coming from under the stairs in the shop. By the following morning, the smell had disappeared. He believed Muriel had been moved from the farm to Bethnal Green Road.
   6. Mr Chaplin noted that the cherry tree in the yard bloomed more profusely than ever, reinforcing his belief that Muriel had been buried there.
   7. Important to Note: Arthur Hosein, posing as M3, had instructed the McKay family to wait by a phone box opposite 447 Bethnal Green Road during the second ransom attempt, to obtain further instructions. This is a fact now seen in an entirely new light.

1. An excavation was carried out at Crabbs Green Farm to investigate the anomalies identified in the scan. After a day of digging, only a collection of old, empty glass bottles was uncovered.

Link to full letter.

1. Ian McKay, Muriel’s son, wrote to Sir Mark Rowley outlining the situation regarding Bethnal Green Road. To date, no response has been received