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A 12-YEAR-OLD murder mystery that saw three Brits killed in the French Alps could soon be solved thanks to breakthroughs in DNA testing.
The horror murder struck a layby in the French countryside back in September 2012, in which three members of a British family were tragically killed.
Iqbal al-Hilli, 47 with husband Saad al-Hilli, 50 and one of their daughters
Cops and forensic workers at the crime scene in the French AlpsDoug Seeburg - The Sun
AFPSurrey engineer Saad al-Hilli, 50, his wife, Iqbal Al-Hilli, 47, and her mother, Suhaila al-Allaf, 74, were all killed in the attack – while cyclist Sylvain Mollier, 45, also died.
The family’s two young daughters survived the attack near Lake Annecy in eastern France, although seven-year-old Zainab Al-Hilli was shot in the shoulder and beaten around the head.
But new state-of-the-art DNA testing could soon shed fresh light on the unresolved tragedy.
A French cold case unit in the Paris suburb Nanterre has ordered the ‘unsealing of the fragments’ of the murder weapon – a Luger PO6, Parabellum 7.65 – so it can be retested using the breakthrough testing methods.
Clothes Sylvian Mollier and Zainab Al-Hilli wore on the day of the chilling attack will also be examined once more, as well as around 10 cigarette ends found in the vicinity.
An investigating source said: “It is hoped that new examinations will uncover DNA traces.
“If yes, then they will be sent for comparison with a national genetic fingerprint file which lists more than four million fingerprints, to see if there is a match.”
The source added that DNA methods have improved significantly over the years since the murder investigation was first launched.
Alps murder mystery timeline
BY James Moules
September 5, 2012: Saad al-Hilli, Iqbal Al-Hilli, 47, Suhaila al-Allaf, 74 and Sylvain Mollier, 45 are all killed in a shooting in the French Alps. The al-Hilli’s two young daughters survive the attack.
September 14, 2012: The al-Hilli’s elder daughter, who suffered injuries in the attack, returns to the UK.
September 22, 2012: British and French police join forces in an effort to solve the case amid lack of progress.
June 2013: A 54-year-old man widely reported to be Zaid al-Hilli, Saad’s brother, is arrested in connection with the attack. He is later released without charge and strongly maintains his innocence.
September 2017: French police admit to having ‘no working theory’ on the case and no suspects after five years of investigation.
January 2022: Nearly 10 years on, an unidentified man is arrested in relation to the murders. He is later released without charge.
June 2022: Channel 4 airs a three-part true crime documentary on the killings titled Murder in the Alps.
May 2024: A French cold case unit orders ‘unsealing of the fragments’ of the alleged murder weapon for further DNA testing.
The clothes set for analysis include a a helmet, cycling shoes, and sports clothing worn by Mollier when he was killed as well as Zainab’s shoes and clothes.
They will be studied in a specialist laboratory to find traces of any clues that could help solve the long-running mystery.
However, given its direct contact with the killer, most hope for a breakthrough resolution to the case rests with the gun.
Most of the weapon had been removed from the scene, but small pieces of the grip were found near the family’s BMW car.
If a breakthrough discovery were made, this would not be the first decade-old case in France aided thanks to new DNA testing methods.
A cold case dating to 2008 was aided by the new methods, in which DNA found on the corpse of 45-year-old jogger Caroline Marcel matched with DNA held in a national database.
A known sex offender was arrested as a result.
Brother Zaid al-Hilli wants justice for his family and said the French police’s handling of the case ‘despicable’
PA:Press Association
English (US)