Queen’s Estate Murder Mystery: Police Share New Details
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Indigo/Getty Images(LONDON) — DNA results have thus far proved inconclusive in the investigation of the human remains discovered on property belonging to the queen of England, though there is speculation that the body may be that of a 17-year-old girl who went missing last year.
Police in the U.K. are still unable to identify the body found on Sandringham Estate on New Year’s Day, saying that it could take another three days. The DNA may match that of Alisa Dmitrijeva from the town of Wisbech, near Cambridge, U.K., who vanished last August and was last seen 10 miles from the royal grounds.
Investigators were able to analyze bone development and other samples, which have helped detectives identify the body as that of a white woman aged between 15 and 23. Police also said that the absence of ivy growing over the body means it was not put there earlier than August.
Detective Chief Inspector Jes Fry said despite the remains showing no obvious signs of injury, investigators in Norfolk, U.K. were still treating the incident as a murder inquiry, the BBC reported. Officers have asked the public for any information about people who organized events in the area in August and September of 2010.
“Speculation about the identity of the victim is unhelpful, particularly for the families involved. We are in touch with a number of families and are particularly focused on missing persons’ cases in Norfolk and neighboring counties,” he said at a Friday press conference. “My job is to remain objective and deal in facts to ensure the right outcome.”
Fry said the decomposed state of the body had complicated efforts to compile a DNA profile, and that samples taken from teeth, bone and muscle tissue have now been sent for analysis with results expected back on Monday.
“We have not been able to establish how the victim died because of decomposition,” Fry said. “For example, it is possible she was stabbed but the absence of flesh means we cannot identify that at this stage.”
Police issued a further description of the victim, saying she was between 5’4″ and 5′ 6″ tall, with high cheek bones.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio