In December 1969, Alick McKay, an executive at Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited, arrives home to find his wife, Muriel, had vanished without a trace. He calls the police to report her missing, and soon places another call too – this time to the editor of The Sun newspaper, Larry Lamb, a colleague.

Lamb’s presence only raises police suspicions - has Muriel really disappeared, or is this just a press set-up, an effort to boost circulation? Then the phone rings. A mysterious man calling himself M3 says that he has taken Muriel McKay and he’s holding her to ransom for £1 million.

Worse Than Murder - A tragic case of mistaken identity that shook Britain and launched a tabloid war.

One winter’s night in 1969, kidnappers targeting Rupert Murdoch’s wife abducted Muriel McKay by mistake. She was never seen again. Jane MacSorley investigates this shocking crime which baffled police and, more than 50 years on, remains unresolved. Presented by Jane MacSorley with Simon FarquharProduced by Nadia Mehdi, with extra production from Paul Russell and Megan OyinkaSound design and mixing by Basil OxtobyStory editor: Andrew DicksonExecutive producers: Neil Cowling, Michaela Hallam, Jago Lee and Rami TzabarDevelopment by Paul RussellVoice acting by Red FrederickOriginal music composed by Richard Atkinson for McassoWith special thanks to Simon Farquhar, author of 'A Desperate Business: The Murder of Muriel McKay'

A Fresh Air and Tell Tale production for BBC Radio 4