Forensic evidence is used all the time in present-day murder investigations. However, in the 1930s using forensics in an investigation was a new and pioneering method. This is what brought the 1930s Jigsaw Murders to prominence.
One of the highest-profile cases of its time, the Jigsaw Murders highlighted the downward spiral of Doctor Buck Ruxton. Ruxton was convicted of murdering his common-law wife Isabella Kerr and their housekeeper, in what was described as a 'crime of passion'.
This article will explore the tragic events that unfolded and how the early use of forensics solved this case.
Buck Ruxton
Born in India in 1899, Bukhtyar Chompa Rustomji Ratanji Hakim, aka the 'Savage Surgeon', was a doctor based in Lancaster who lived with his common-law wife Isabella.
Hakim had a good upbringing in Bombay, despite having few friends and a highly sensitive disposition. Very intelligent, he studied medicine at the University of Bombay and qualified to become a surgeon in the early 1920s.
After a short-lived arranged marriage, in 1926 the doctor relocated to the UK and studied various medical courses before moving to Scotland a year later and legally changed his name to Buck Ruxton.
A well-liked member of society, Buck Ruxton was known to be kind and compassionate to his patients and popular within the community. He met Isabella Kerr during this time and the couple had three children. It was after their son was born that the couple employed Mary Jane Rogerson as the family nanny.
Jealousy and murder
Although popular with his patients and the local community, Ruxton’s relationship with Isabella was complicated and messy. It’s reported that he became increasingly jealous and suspicious of Kerr and her alleged infidelity. He regularly exploded into fits of rage and hysteria behind closed doors, while putting on a calm exterior to his neighbours.
Isabella went to the police several times accusing Ruxton of assaulting her – he denied all allegations. After multiple disputes and loud quarrels, in 1932 she is thought to have attempted suicide via gas asphyxiation, thus miscarrying the couple’s fourth child.
The real downfall of the doctor came one evening in September 1935 when Isabella arrived home later than usual. Ruxton was fraught with anger and jealousy and strangled the mother-of-three in a fit of rage.
It was an event the couple’s housekeeper Mary Jane Rogerson had witnessed, sealing her fate as she watched on in disbelief. The killer panicked and murdered the only witness to his assault.
The evidence
After killing the two women and dismembering their bodies at his home, Ruxton dropped his children at a friend's house and drove to the quiet town of Moffat. He wrapped the bodies in old clothing and newspaper and disposed of the body parts by throwing them into a ravine over a bridge.
'The body parts were found a couple of weeks later by a visitor when she noticed them and got the police involved', it was later revealed.
Police were called to the scene and ascertained that the remains were human. Due to the extensive mutilation of the women, the Dumfriesshire Constabulary was unsure as to the gender of the victims.
Firstly, the police needed to understand who the victims were. The remains were already in a terrible state of decomposition when they were discovered, making a distressing job even harder. This is where the early and forward-thinking use of forensics came into play. A suspect needed to be found and all the information gathered was circumstantial.
A pioneering use of forensics
A team was led by the University of Glasgow’s Professor John Glaister in one of the first cases to use forensics in their investigation. They were able to obtain fingerprints from one of the bodies using new and pioneering techniques, as well as superimposed photographs.
Professor Glaister and his team used another significant technique – entomology. Based on the life cycle of maggots, they used this technique to procedure to establish the time of death.
As well as forensic evidence, Sgt Robert Sloan compiled lengthy notes on his discovery and found the name and the date of the newspaper that the bodies were wrapped in. This information was key as the newspaper was in limited circulation.
Through their painstaking work, authorities made the connection to Ruxton, who was arrested and charged with the murder of both women.
Ruxton was later convicted for the murder of Isabella Kerr and Mary Jane Rogerson and sentenced to death. Prior to his execution in May 1936, Ruxton had written to his chief defence counsel to thank him for his work and to plead his innocence.
'I know that in a few hours I shall be going to meet my Maker. But I say to you, sir, I am entirely innocent of this crime.'
