Car Recovered in Queen’s Estate Murder Mystery
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Indigo/Getty Images(LONDON) — Police in London say they have recovered the car in which Alisa Dmitrijeva — the teen whose body was discovered on property belonging to the Queen of England — was last seen.
The vehicle, a green Lexus GS300, was found in a junkyard in Wisbech, a town of about 20,000 people, where 17-year-old Dmitrijeva lived, according to the BBC. The car was turned over to forensic experts in hopes it will lead to new clues in the cold murder case.
The Latvian-born Dmitrijeva had moved to the UK with her family in 2009, according to the BBC. The following year she vanished. She was last seen in the Lexus on Aug. 31, 2010, in Norfolk, and was reported missing almost a week later.
The teen’s body was not discovered until New Year’s Day earlier this year, by a dog walker in a woodland area at Anmer, a tiny village northeast of London that is part of the Sandringham estate property used by the British royal family as a vacation retreat. The property is located approximately 21 miles away from Wisbech.
Police have treated Dmitrijeva’s death as a murder but have so far come up dry in establishing a cause of death or naming a suspect.
Officers said they brought in a forensic palynologist to more closely examine rare pollen types found at the scene.
“Work is currently being carried out on soil and debris samples found in the car to identify the pollen and spores in them,” said Detective Chief Inspector Jes Fry. “These will then be compared with the results from the samples taken at Anmer.”
“If a link is identified, it could be a significant step forward in the enquiry,” Fry said, adding that it may be several weeks before results from the tests are available.
Dmitrijeva’s body was found near the Royal Stud, where Queen Elizabeth oversees the breeding and training of race horses, and less than three miles from the queen’s main residence on the estate Sandringham House.
Sandringham House has served as a private residence for British monarchs since 1862 and is a favorite of the royal family, who often use the property as a holiday retreat.
The queen and Prince Philip had joined other royals in attending the traditional New Year’s Day service at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene just hours before the discovery of Dmitrijeva’s body was made.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio