A SCOTS university has launched an appeal to find relatives of two women murdered 90 years ago after their skulls were found in storage.
The deaths of Isabella Ruxton and Mary Rogerson were dubbed the Jigsaw Murders in 1935 when their bodies were discovered in Moffat, Dumfries-shire.
Human remains were spotted beneath a bridge and the body parts were sent to Edinburgh University to help build evidence against Dr Buck Ruxton, who was hanged for his wife’s murder.
The university is now searching for family members of the victims after rediscovering the skulls and other bones in its archive.
Professor of anatomy Tom Gillingwater said: “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.”
Dr Buck Ruxton had given various explanations for the disappearance of his wife Isabella and their nursemaid Mary Rogerson in Lancaster.
The GP had been accused of domestic abuse by his wife.
And both women were reported missing by Mary’s family, not by Ruxton.
Groundbreaking forensic techniques such as analysing fingerprints and studying insects found on the bodies to establish the date of their deaths were used for the first time.
He was convicted of murdering his wife.
But the charge relating to Mary was dropped, and he was hanged outside Manchester’s Strangeways Prison.
It’s not known whether Isabella and Buck Ruxton’s three orphaned children were ever told that their father had been hanged for murdering their mother.
The university is handling the discovery sensitively to protect relatives.
Prof Gillingwater said: “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.”
