A search has been launched for the families of two women murdered 90 years ago in the Jigsaw Murders after their skulls were rediscovered in a university warehouse.

The deaths of Isabella Ruxton and Mary Rogerson in Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway, made headlines around the world in 1935.

The case broke new ground in forensic science when the University of Edinburgh helped build evidence against Dr Buck Ruxton, who was hanged for his wife’s murder.

The university has now discovered that the skulls and other bones are still in its archive. They are trying to track down the women’s relatives to ask them if they want them returned.

Anatomy professor 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 buried.”

The university decided to make a public appeal through the BBC rather than approach the families privately, as it is not known if the three orphaned children of Isabella and Buck Ruxton were ever told that their father had been hanged for their mother’s murder.

The murders – which became known as the Jigsaw Murders – took place in September 1935.

Newspaper reporters flocked to Dumfries and Galloway after dismembered and disfigured human remains were discovered under a bridge over a stream.

The remains were sent to the University of Edinburgh, where forensic scientists and colleagues from the University of Glasgow pieced the body parts together.

While they carried out their gruesome task, another investigation was underway 100 miles south in Lancaster, north-west England.

Doctor Buck Ruxton gave various explanations for the disappearance of his wife Isabella and their nanny Mary Rogerson.

The popular GP had been jealous of his wife’s friendship with other men.

She had accused him of domestic abuse before he disappeared, but the local police took no action.

Mary and Isabella were reported missing by Mary’s family, not Ruxton.

Investigators in Scotland linked the two women to the remains that were found near Moffat.

The bodies had yet to be identified beyond doubt, and their killer, who was known to be experienced in operations, took great care to make this as difficult as possible.

Ruxton’s efforts to evade justice were thwarted by innovative forensic techniques that confirmed the remains were those of Isabella and Mary.

The identification was crucial to the prosecution’s case in what has been described as the “trial of the century”.

Ruxton entered the dock at Manchester Magistrates’ Court five months after the bodies were found.

The jury was shown an image of Isabella which scientists had superimposed on an X-ray of one of the skulls in the ravine – the first time such evidence had been used in court. They were a horrifying match.

The trial was told that a new fingerprint analysis technique was used to identify Maria.

The scientists also studied the insects found on the corpses to determine the date of their death.

Ruxton was convicted of murdering his wife. He was also accused of murdering Mary, but the charge was dropped before the trial.

Two months after he was found guilty, huge crowds gathered outside Strangeways Prison in Manchester when he was executed by hanging.

Former Deputy Chief Tom Wood has written a book about the case, entitled Ruxton: The First Modern Murder.

“It was one of the most important criminal investigations of the 20th century, not because of the horror of the case and the dismemberment of the bodies, but because of the forensics,” he said.

“Put simply, anything before the Ruxton case was ancient history. Anything after the Ruxton case is a modern, integrated, forensic-led investigation.”

In the decades that followed, the women’s bones were kept in the University of Edinburgh’s vast anatomical collection, stored in boxes in a vault alongside evidence from the case.

The assumption is that they were detained for further medical research.

Prof Gillingwater and Tom Wood argue that this decision should be seen in the context of the ethical standards of the time.

“If you’re asking me if I would have done the same with my 21st century lens, absolutely not,” Professor Gillingwater said.

“But at the time what those scientists did in this investigation was remarkable and revolutionary.”

Mr Wood believes it is unlikely the woman’s families will know they are holding funerals without the remains of all their loved ones.

“I can understand why they did it. These were scientists,” he said.

“These were men who were determined to improve the criminal investigation and they would have used these body parts to do it.

“This was not cruel contempt. These remains have been preserved for the advancement of science.”

Professor Gillingwater says the remains were “found or recovered” after a student in the Netherlands inquired about the archive.

“The overriding feeling was that okay, they’re probably not being treated with the full level of care and respect that we would like,” he said.

The Scottish Government told the university it was legal to hold the remains – but decided to determine whether they should be returned to the women’s families.

However, this created another dilemma.

Isabella and Buck Ruxton’s three young children were housed and it is unknown if they were ever told how their parents died.

Mary Rogerson is known to have relatives in the Morecombe area, while Isabella’s sister Jeannie Nelson was living in Edinburgh at the time of the murder.

After consulting ethics experts, the university decided to launch an appeal through the BBC.

“The guidance was very clear that we should not approach people who may not be aware that they are related to these ladies,” Professor Gillingwater said.

“If there are any relatives of Isabella or Maria who we believe would like the remains returned to them, we would be delighted to speak to them about what the next steps might be.”

The university says any discussions will be held in the strictest confidence and that families should not feel pressured to come forward.

They can get in touch via a section on the university website.

• The Jigsaw Murders case where forensics was the key