Police probing death of mum and five children appeal to writer of letter claiming to have key info about cause of tragedy

Want LBC stories before everyone else? Set us as your Preferred Source on Google

Dr Abdul Shakoor was the sole survivor of a fire which claimed the lives of his wife Dr Sabah Usmani and five children Hira, Maheen, Sohaib, Muneeb and Rayyan, in Barn Mead in October 2012.

The family were asleep at their terraced home at 1.40am on 15 October 2012 when the fire took hold of the downstairs of the property.

The home was quickly engulfed by flames and smoke, while a silver Ford Focus was set alight at the same time in close proximity.

Despite Dr Shakoor’s desperate attempts to raise the alarm, the fire took hold and his wife and children did not survive.

Detectives soon realised that this tragic incident was more "sinister" than first appeared, when they found a laptop bag from the house discarded in a bin a mile away from the property 10 days later.

Essex Police then launched a murder investigation, called Operation Shakespeare, which has been running for almost 14 years.

To date, no one has been held to account, but work has continued, with more than 70 police officers and staff focused on the incident and the circumstances around it, about 500 people coming forward to give witness statements and almost 2,000 items being examined.

Read more: 'Sweet' girl, 7, found dead in golf course pond as family pay tribute to their 'whole world'

Read more: Four arrested as murder investigation launched following death of woman in Leeds

But in a stunning twist, Essex Police were sent a handwritten letter from an anonymous sender which sets out a number of details from the case.

Officers are now asking for the author to come forward and speak to them directly. 

Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, who is leading Operation Shakespeare, said: “This letter is clearly written by someone who wants this investigation to progress just as much as we do. They clearly want Dr Shakoor to get justice for his family."

According to Inspector Metcalfe, the letter was posted through Royal Mail to Harlow police station in July 2025.

In it, the author refers to the "nightmare" of having information but not feeling able to share it.

"We need this person to come forward and speak to us directly," Inspector Metcalfe said.

"To that person, I’m saying: ‘You can share what you know – you will be treated fairly. Your information could be what leads to a person or people being held accountable for tearing the Shakoor family apart’.” 

The letter has been forensically analysed by police, with experts trying to understand the "handwriting and psychology of the letter".

But investigators are still "none the wiser" as to who wrote it, leading Inspector Metcalfe to make a direct appeal in what she described as the "biggest lead" in the case so far.

"It's quite rare to get a handwritten or to get a letter on paper these days when we work in emails. So I was surprised to see the letter on my desk," the inspector said.

"I opened it straight away, then dropped it straight away, realising the forensic opportunities. But, yeah, I mean, I've been dwelling on this since last summer. That person knows something and I really need to know what they know."

Essex Police had previously said they were looking for a white male in his late teens, who was seen riding a bicycle in the area on the night of the fire.

Inspector Metcalfe confirmed that officers had been able to "identify this person" and he had been spoken to.

Asked what the killer's motives might be, the police chief said: "We still don't know. Nothing adds up. If we were able to understand why this had happened, we probably would have solved it by now, which is, I think, so unbearable for Dr Shakoor

She added that Dr Shakoor had never been treated as a suspect, having been in his bedroom with his wife when they first heard the bang of the initial fire.

"He jumped out of the window to get help. He did that to get help, and then tried instantly to go back into the property.

"At the same time as this fire at the house several yards down the road, there was a car that was also set alight. It would be physically impossible for Dr. Shakur to have been in all of those places. And his account is credible."

DCI Metcalfe added: “The whole of this investigation team remains committed to securing answers for Dr Shakoor. He has lived for too long with questions over how he lost his family.

“I would urge anyone with any information on what happened in Barn Mead, Harlow, in October 2012 to please come forward.”