Abduction scene blood is almost certainly missing Briton's
Australian police searching for Briton Peter Falconio and his suspected killer say blood found at the scene almost certainly belongs to the victim.
Peter Falconio's father and brother provided DNA samples to police, allowing them to confirm that blood found at the scene was Mr Falconio's.
Mr Falconio, of Hepworth, near Huddersfield, West Yorks, is believed to have been shot by another motorist on the Stuart Highway.
Northern Territory police commander Max Pope, said: "We now believe blood found at the scene is the blood of Peter Falconio.
"The Falconio family have been told of this. Of course they didn't want to hear the news but I think they have accepted this."
He added that hopes of Mr Falconio being found alive are fading by the day.
Referring to a fresh investigation at Barrow Creek, the spot where the attack happened, Mr Pope said it was based on fresh evidence, but refused to give any details.
However, Australian press reports, citing the owner of a nearby petrol station, said police had sifted through traces of a possible desert camp and fire.
Mr Pope did say police had investigated numerous reported sightings of people fitting the description of the wanted gunman, but none had proven positive.
Police have likened their manhunt to searching for a needle in a haystack.
