Arlene Fraser disappeared without trace on 28 April 1998 from her home in Elgin, Moray, Scotland. The 33-year-old mother of two was last seen hanging out washing around 8:00 AM that morning. After waving her children off to school at 9:00 AM, she made a telephone call to the school at 9:41 AM asking about her son's school trip return time. Within a ten-minute window after that call, she vanished.

What made the case more perplexing: Arlene's car had been burnt and destroyed in her driveway just three weeks earlier—a detail that would later take on sinister significance.

Grampian Police initially treated the disappearance as a missing persons inquiry. But six months later, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Simpson delivered a stark assessment: "The only conclusion that's still left open to us, which I firmly believe has happened, is that something criminal has taken place here and that Arlene has been the victim of a crime. I am of the opinion that she's dead."

The investigation soon focused on Arlene's estranged husband, Nat Fraser. At the time of her disappearance, Fraser was out on bail for attempted murder. One of his bail conditions required him to live away from the family home at 2 Smith Street. Despite this constraint, police determined he had what appeared to be a perfect alibi for the day Arlene vanished.

Two other men became central to the case. Hector Dick, a friend of Nat Fraser, admitted to burning and crushing a Ford Fiesta because he feared it linked to Arlene's disappearance. During the investigation, Dick claimed that Nat Fraser had told him he arranged for his wife to be killed, then disposed of her body by grinding it up and burying it. Dick denied any personal involvement in the crime.

English businessman Glenn Lucas, another friend of Fraser's, was charged with perverting the course of justice in June 2001. The three men had met not long before Arlene's disappearance.

On 26 April 2002, the Crown Office announced indictments against Nat Fraser, Hector Dick, and Glenn Lucas. They were charged with conspiring to murder Arlene, with her murder, and with attempting to defeat the ends of justice. Prosecutors described the case as "a conspiracy by a number of individuals."

The evidence presented was extraordinary for its era. Authorities used lip reader transcripts of CCTV footage showing Nat Fraser and Glenn Lucas apparently discussing body disposal. According to these transcripts, they discussed "removing her limbs, pulling out her teeth." The complete absence of Arlene's remains made this circumstantial evidence especially significant.

Nat Fraser was convicted of Arlene's murder. The conviction was upheld on appeal. He was released from prison in April 2001 after serving half his sentence. However, his liberty was short-lived. Four months later, in August 2001, he was re-jailed after admitting to lying to receive almost £19,000 in Legal Aid funding.

The case remains one of Scotland's most perplexing murder investigations. Arlene Fraser's body has never been found. No confession has been obtained. What happened in that ten-minute window on 28 April 1998 remains a mystery, though the conviction of her estranged husband suggests foul play by those closest to her.

For her two children, now adults, and for the communities of Elgin and beyond, Arlene Fraser's disappearance stands as a haunting reminder of a life cut short and a truth that may never fully emerge.

**Sources** - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Arlene_Fraser - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiltZTmei5Q - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRPBWvzMJOw