Arlene Fraser disappeared from her home in Elgin, Moray, on 28 April 1998, after seeing her two young children off to school. Her body has never been found. Her husband, Nat Fraser, was convicted of her murder twice and is now approaching parole, but a new law could block his release unless he reveals where her remains are.
The Disappearance
When police arrived at the neat bungalow, they found Arlene's passport, driving licence, and glasses, but her coat, purse, and handbag were missing. The house was unlocked, with the ironing board out, the hoover plugged in, and washing on the line. There were no signs of disturbance, and the scene was compared to the abandoned ghost ship Mary Celeste. Medication that the 33-year-old needed had also been left behind.
Her family and friends said her disappearance was completely out of character. She was not the type to abandon her children, then aged five and ten. The last contact was around 9:45am that day, when she phoned the school to ask about her son's return from a trip. That night, she was declared a high-risk missing person.
Suspicion Falls on Husband
Attention quickly focused on Nat Fraser, who had been accused of attempting to murder her earlier that year. As a condition of his bail, he was not allowed inside the family home and was living with a friend. On the day she went missing, Arlene had been due to meet a solicitor to discuss a divorce. Earlier that month, her car had been set on fire outside the house.
Nat had a rock-solid alibi for the morning, having been on the phone to a female friend and doing his delivery rounds for his wholesale fruit and veg business. He was well known and liked in Elgin, playing in a local band, and many believed he had nothing to do with her disappearance. Some even thought Arlene had chosen to start a new life. Fraser appeared at a news conference appealing for her to get in touch and took part in searches.
Trials and Convictions
Police theorized that Arlene was lured out of the house and killed elsewhere, with Nat as the prime suspect due to motive. Two years after her disappearance, he was convicted of assaulting Arlene and jailed for 18 months. In 2003, he stood trial for murder. A key piece of evidence was the reappearance of Arlene's rings, found in the bathroom eight days after she went missing, and Nat had been in the house that day.
A farmer friend, Hector Dick, claimed Fraser told him he paid a hitman to kill Arlene and burn and scatter her remains. Fraser was found guilty and jailed for life, but the UK Supreme Court ruled in 2011 that his trial was unfair. He was convicted again in 2012 and handed another life sentence with a minimum 17-year term.
New Law Blocks Parole
Fraser will soon be eligible for release, but Arlene's family hope a new law will prevent parole unless he reveals what happened to her body. Suzanne's Law, part of the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill, requires the Parole Board for Scotland to consider a murderer's refusal to disclose a victim's remains when assessing release. It is named after Suzanne Pilley, who disappeared in 2010; David Gilroy was convicted of her murder and has never revealed her remains.
Some argue the law does not go far enough and that killers like Fraser or Gilroy should be required to reveal burial locations as an absolute condition of release. To this day, Fraser, now in his late 60s, has refused to give Arlene's family closure.
Former Daily Record reporter Charlie Gall, who covered the story for over 20 years, believes it unlikely Fraser will ever tell what he did with Arlene's body, despite the potential delay in release. He said: "He'll never give it up. He won't want his two children to know for certain that it was him behind the murder of their mother. It's likely that Nat didn't physically kill her himself. But he was the guy that wanted her dead and plotted the whole thing."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Whilst there has been a conviction for Arlene Fraser’s murder, we will continue to act on any information we receive about where her body is, and would encourage anyone with any information to speak to the police, so that we can ensure Arlene is given the funeral she deserves and that her family are able to pay their respects to her. If anyone has any information they think could help, please contact Police Scotland on 101. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained."
