Police check body for Falconio link

A body found in Australia could be that of Peter Falconio

Australian police have been investigating whether the partial remains of an unidentified body belong to missing Briton Peter Falconio.

Police presume that Mr Falconio was murdered following an attack on him and his girlfriend by an armed man in July, 2001.

Their vehicle was flagged down on a remote highway in Northern Territory in the middle of the night. The attacker is thought to have shot Mr Falconio before tying up Ms Lees, who subsequently escaped.

Torso discovered

Police in South Australia said that a lower male torso had been found in the bottom of an isolated pond by a tourist on Wednesday afternoon.

The torso was discovered about 180 miles from the spot where the attack happened, near Alice Springs in neighbouring Northern Territory.

Inspector Peter Batley said police were checking the remains against files of missing persons.

It was still unclear whether the remains had been severed deliberately or if this was the result of normal decomposition, he added.

The attack happened on a remote highway

"At this point in time the checks include all states," he said. "Nothing is ruled out. We're coming into this with a very open mind."

Despite one of the biggest police operations in Australian history, the body of 28-year-old Mr Falconio has never been found.

The mystery of the case has led to attempts by an Aboriginal tracker to find the body.

In further efforts to find the body, an Australian crime author has called on the help of a psychic.

Last year police stated that DNA evidence taken from blood on Lees' clothing linked 44-year-old Bradley John Murdoch to the Falconio murder.

Murdoch remains in prison on charges unrelated to the Falconio case.