Meredith police test bloodstained hair (From Croydon Guardian)

Meredith police test bloodstained hair

7:57am Wednesday 14th November 2007 in News By Guardian Reporter

Italian police are testing bloodstained hair found in the hand of murdered Coulsdon student Meredith Kercher in the hope it will identify her killer.

The 21-year-old student was clutching several hairs in her left hand, adding fuel to the police theory she tried to fight off her attackers in her bedroom in Perugia, Italy.

Meredith was found semi-naked with her throat cut on November 2 in the Italian town where she had been studying as part of her university degree.

Detectives in Perugia said Meredith died trying to fight off a sex attack in the bedroom of her share house.

Her housemate, American student Amanda Knox, 20, Knox's Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 24, and Congolese bar owner Diya Lumumba, 37, have all been remanded in custody over the killing.

Police are also reported to be hunting a fourth person after finding a bloody fingerprint in the house that did not match any of the other suspects.

Meredith's body was returned home earlier this week.

Her family say they are pleased she is back home where she belongs.

Mum, Arline Kercher, said: "We are just happy that she is back home. This is such a hard time but we have had so much support from people and we would just like to say thank you.

"We have received so many flowers and gifts and we would really like to thank everyone for their good wishes."

And dad John Kercher said he was pleased his daughter's body was back with her family.

"We weren't sure when she would be coming back to us, which was obviously frustrating since we couldn't make funeral arrangements.

"We are shocked by the stories of how she died. It is difficult and we just want to get through this. We are taking it one day at a time."