Update: A forensic expert in the Corryn Rayney murder investigation was asked to check whether a specific third person had left behind hair in Mrs Rayney's car or at the alleged crime scene, statements have revealed.

Statements from forensic scientist Rosalyn Treliving were among those released to the media today.

In her statements, the scientist says she had been given hairs found in Mrs Rayney's car and outside her Como home - the alleged crime scene - to see whether they matched her husband Lloyd Rayney or a third person whose name is blacked out of the statements for legal reasons.

Mr Rayney has pleaded not guilty to wilful murder and denies any involvement in the death of his wife who was last seen alive at a dance class that evening.

In her statements, Ms Treliving said that not all the hairs contained roots and of those that did no DNA was recoverable apart from partial profiles corresponded with Mrs Rayney's profile and therefore could have come from her.

She concluded the findings could not assist in determining whether Mr Rayney or the third person were involved in Mrs Rayney's death.

She also examined a handkerchief found in Mrs Rayney's grave, locating possible saliva but not blood. The handkerchief did not yield DNA.

Ms Treliving stated that tests were also conducted on DNA extracts from hair on Mrs Rayney's clothes, DNA from a tree branch at her gravesite and DNA from a hair in her body bag.

She said DNA samples from the gravesite branch and from on hair on her clothes could not be reliably said to have come from Mrs Rayney, her husband or the other suspect. but they did contain components that could not have come from the trio.

A single DNA component from hair on Mrs Rayney's clothes that corresponded with both Mrs Rayney and her husband's profiles bore little significance while a single DNA component from the body bag hair and which matched the un-named suspect was also of little significance becasue it was in one of every five people.

See the original post here:
Rayney investigators seek 'third person' DNA