90 Years After One of the Country's Most Notorious Crimes, the Case is Finally Closed

The remains of Isabella Ruxton and her maid, Mary Rogerson, killed by the former's husband, have finally been laid to rest.

This is my latest column, published in today's Scotsman (16th September 2025).

The 1935 murders of two young women in Lancaster caused a sensation and changed the face of all subsequent serious crime investigations.

The story of the killing of flamboyant mother-of-three Isabella Ruxton and her faithful maid Mary Rogerson at the hands of Isabella’s husband Dr Buck Ruxton was both gruesome and compelling. The dismemberment and scattering of body parts in the Scottish Borders led to a complex inquiry that established forensic science in the mainstream of criminal investigation.

It was such a fascinating case, the first ‘modern murder’, that a few years ago I wrote a well-received book about it. Two questions remained unanswered. What happened to the three young Ruxton children, Elizabeth, Diane, and Billie? Not wanting to intrude further on their tragedy in the book, I left that open.

The other controversy I inadvertently opened centred on the two women’s remains, held at Edinburgh University’s anatomical collection, normal practice at the time.

If I thought finishing the book was the end of the story, I was wrong. Before long, I started to hear of the whereabouts of the Ruxton children but did nothing. Their identities had been protected at the time of the murders. I, for one, was not about to breach that confidence.

The retention of human remains by universities is a sensitive issue. Often the legacy of 19th-century anatomical collections, most medical schools have large collections of unidentified bones they don’t need but find difficult to dispose of. Doing nothing has often been the expedient option.

But the Ruxton case was different. It was less than 100 years old, the identity of the remains was certain, and by this time we were pretty sure we knew the living relatives’ identities.

In 2024, after more enquiries about the remains, Edinburgh University decided to act, setting out to find the families and, hopefully, repatriate the remains.

By then we knew the three Ruxton children were dead, after long, successful lives. We also knew there were grandchildren and extended families of both women. A direct approach was ruled out, to avoid re-victimising the families.

Instead Edinburgh University decided to publicise their wish to return the remains, hoping the relatives would come forward. It was then a case of sitting back and waiting to see if anyone came forward.

There is always a risk of chancers or fantasists in such cases, but since we knew who we were looking for, they could be quickly eliminated. In the event, it only took a few days for the families of both Bella and Mary to make contact. As it turned out, they had known their origins all along, but had understandably chosen anonymity.

So it was that the last remains of the victims of one of the 20th century’s most notorious crimes were laid to rest in private family ceremonies that I hope brought comfort.

All credit to the initiative of Edinburgh University’s Medical School. Their well-planned reverse investigation has resolved the last mysteries of this famous crime. Almost exactly 90 years after the murders. The case has finally been closed.