Mysterious letter prompts police appeal into devastating house fire that saw mother and five children killed

Ben McCaffrey
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:04:06 +0000

Essex Police has issued an urgent appeal after a mystery man delivered a handwritten letter to Harlow police station in July 2025 that could hold crucial information about a house fire that left six dead.

Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, who heads the investigation, described the anonymous writer as someone who "seemed reticent of coming forward but couldn't bear the nightmare of knowing what they knew".

She has made a direct appeal for the author to make contact.

"What I'm appealing for now is for that person to have confidence to come and talk to me and we are waiting," DCI Metcalfe stated.

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Forensic examination of the letter failed identify its author, though investigators believe it was written locally.

The tragedy itself unfolded in the early hours of October 15, 2012, when a deadly blaze swept through a family's terraced property on Barn Mead in Harlow.

Dr Sabah Usmani died alongside her five children: Hira, aged 12; Sohaib, 11; Muneeb, nine; Rayyan, six; and three-year-old Maheen.

The family had been asleep when flames engulfed the ground floor of their home at around 1.40am.

Dr Abdul Shakoor, Dr Usmani's husband, was the sole survivor, having escaped through an upstairs window while making frantic efforts to rescue those trapped inside.

A silver Ford Focus belonging to a neighbour was set ablaze nearby at precisely the same time.

Police have treated the deaths as murder from the outset, launching an inquiry codenamed Operation Shakespeare that has now continued for almost 14 years without anyone being charged.

The scale of the investigation has been substantial, with more than 70 officers and staff dedicated to the case, approximately 500 witness statements gathered, and nearly 2,000 exhibits scrutinised.

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Yet despite arrests over the years, DCI Metcalfe acknowledged that police remain no closer to bringing charges, conceding they "need a bit of luck".

The inquiry has been hampered by forensic difficulties. A BBC podcast released in May 2024 revealed that vital evidence was inadvertently destroyed during the initial stages of the investigation.

Fire investigation officer David Hadjicostas disclosed that a forensic contractor permitted crucial material to be discarded in a skip.

The anonymous letter arrived at Harlow police station merely weeks after the podcast's was released.

"For 14 years, people have been holding us to this and that letter proves to us that people know something," DCI Metcalfe said.

The detective noted that circumstances shift over time, with allegiances altering, relationships ending, and new bonds forming.

"Someone's going to wrestle with their ethics and their morals and make a decision to come forward," she said. "Ultimately, for 14 years, someone who murdered a family is walking free. That's not fair."

A Crimestoppers reward of up to £20,000 was established in 2024 for information leading to a breakthrough.

DCI Metcalfe emphasised that her team remains wholly committed to obtaining answers for Dr Shakoor, who has endured far too long without knowing how he lost his family.