Mother's hope over Rachel mystery

Pictures of Rachel's body were used in an anti-drugs campaign

The mother of Rachel Whitear has spoken of her hopes to finally find out why her daughter died in the wake of the exhumation of her body.

The 21-year-old's casket was removed from her grave on Tuesday in a new inquiry into her death in May 2000.

It was originally thought she died of a drug overdose and a picture of her body was used in an anti-drugs campaign.

Her mother Pauline Holcroft told the Sunday Telegraph she wants the mystery to be solved.

Heroin addict

"It seems likely now that a cause of death can be found and if that happens I am hopeful that the inquest will be reopened.

"Then maybe we will get some answers and Rachel will know that we did our best for her."

The former Bath University student, who was a heroin addict, was found dead in her bedsit in Exmouth, Devon, with a syringe in her hand.

It seems likely now that a cause of death can be found and if that happens I am hopeful that the inquest will be reopened Pauline Holcroft

The new investigation was launched last year by Wiltshire Police after Miss Whitear's parents raised concerns about the way Devon and Cornwall Police handled the original investigation.

No post-mortem examination was carried out before an inquest, which recorded an open verdict.

A post-mortem examination this week following the exhumation at the Church of St Peter in Withington, near Hereford, showed her death had not been due to disease or "physical trauma".

Mrs Holcroft said: "I managed to hold everything back while we were in the church but when we were at the graveside doing the prayers of exhumation, I thought, 'This is just so dreadful, that this has to be done'. It really got to me at that point."