SENIOR RUC officers investigating the unsolved killing of a German tourist in the North eight years ago have contacted West Mercia detectives to establish if there is a connection with the recent murder of a French hitchhiker in England.
English detectives suspect that one man - possibly a lorry driver - has carried out up to 20 road side murders, the latest victim being French student Celine Figard.
Her body was discovered in a Worcester lay by last Friday. The half naked body of Ms Inga Maria Hauser (18) from Munich was discovered by a sheep farmer at Ballypatrick Forest in Ballycastle, Co Antrim, in April 1988.
She had last been seen alive a fortnight earlier, getting off the Stranraer ferry in Larne, Co Antrim. She died from a brain haemorrhage, probably caused by a kick or blow with a blunt object.
A vital DNA sample taken from her body almost certainly belongs to her killer.
RUC officers working on the case have identified similarities between her death and that of Ms Figard.
They have already contacted West Mercia detectives. They will take the DNA sample recovered from Ms Hauser's body to England in an attempt to match it with samples removed from several other victims.
Officially, the RUC will not elaborate on the nature of the possible links. A spokesman said: "We have built up a DNA profile but have never linked it with a firm suspect. Obviously, as in all cases where there are certain similarities, there will be close co operation in murder investigations."