A new investigation into the murder of a French TV producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier has suffered a setback after DNA tests on blood samples proved inconclusive, it was reported today.
Gardaí refused to comment on the report, although sources indicated the story was accurate.
Ms Toscan du Plantier (38) was found battered to death yards from her holiday home on December 23rd, 1996, in the Toomore valley on the Mizen Peninsula in west Cork.
Last year police sent tiny blood samples from the scene of the killing to a British laboratory in the hope new DNA techniques would help identify the murderer.
A new investigation of the killing was ordered by Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne earlier this year and two senior officers were appointed to head it.
Police involved in the investigation have interviewed over 1,000 people and have sent an extensive file to the DPP. It had been referred back to gardaí on a number of occasions for additional information.
When the file was completed, it is believed the DPP decided there was insufficient evidence to make a successful prosecution likely.
AFP