Police In Search Of The British Tourist Killer

Provincial police chief Kiatthipong Khaosumarng said that 12 DNA samples had been tested belonging to 11 migrants working on Koh Tao and British man Christopher Ware, who had shared a room with the male victim.
Thai police are still searching for suspects in the killings of two British tourists on an idyllic resort island, with DNA tests not matching evidence found on the female victim's body.

No one has been arrested yet in the deaths, nor has anyone been officially named a suspect although police had previously asked Ware and his brother not to leave Thailand, saying they were "under watch."

An autopsy revealed both slain tourists Hannah Witheridge, 23 and David Miller, 24 had been hit by a hard object, according to Maj. Gen. Pornchai Suteerakhun, the head of the Police Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine.

Miller was hit and had scratches on his back, in addition to having water in his lungs consistent with drowning, an autopsy showed. Witheridge was hit several times on her head and face and her body had evidence of sexual intercourse, according to her autopsy.

Pornchai didn't confirm or deny that authorities believe Witheridge was raped.

Kiatthipong said that two sets of DNA have been found on Witheridge's body, indicating at least two culprits in her death. Neither set matches that of Miller, he said.

Police previously said they had ruled out robbery as a motive.

Miller and Witheridge were last seen with friends at a bar in the early hours of Monday before leaving together, according to Kiatthipong. Police have released a grainy image from video outside that bar, adding that they wanted to interview a person -- who they described as an Asian man seen in it.

The victims were discovered partially undressed with severe injuries to their heads, and a hoe with blood on it was found near the bodies, police said. 

The deaths have shaken residents on popular holiday island, which takes up only 21 square kilometers (8 square miles) amid bright blue waters in the Gulf of Thailand.

Authorities said it was the first homicide case on the island known for its diving locations, white-sand beaches and vibrant nightlife in at least eight years.

The confusion and heartache there, though, pales compared to that felt now half a world away in Briton, where two families are coming to grips with their loved ones' deaths.

In a statement issued by the British Embassy in Bangkok, Witheridge's family said she was "a beautiful, intelligent, loving young woman who poured joy into the lives of all who knew her" and they were "utterly devastated and shocked by what has happened."

Miller's family described David Miller as "an artist by temperament, so talented.

"He had a creative eye that he carried with him through life and in his degree. He was hard-working, bright and conscientious, with everything to look forward to."