THE body of a British holidaymaker who was murdered with another British tourist in Thailand has returned to the UK, her family said.
Hannah Witheridge, 23, was found with severe head wounds next to David Miller, 24, on a beach on the island of Koh Tao last Monday.
Her family said yesterday they had travelled to Bangkok on Tuesday to bring their "beloved Hannah" home and find out more about the investigation to find her killers.
In a statement, they said: "We can confirm that we have now returned to the UK with our beautiful Hannah. As a family we feel enormous relief to have Hannah back at home where she belongs.
"We continue to work closely with officers to assist in the investigation and bring those responsible to justice. Our family is broken and require time to grieve in private - as do Hannah's many friends. With the support of our fantastic family liaison officers we will make further statements as required and when we feel able."
Meanwhile, police in Thailand said they are investigating new evidence suggesting that the murders may have been due to "sexual jealousy".
A spokesman for the Royal Thai Police said that the force was also looking into claims that the pair had a row with a Thai man in a bar before they were killed.
Police Colonel Kissana Phathanacharoen said: "We have discovered fresh evidence which could lead to a new suspect who may have had a relationship or one-night stand with Hannah or one of her friends, or David, the night before they were killed. No lines of inquiry can be ruled out and we believe these crimes could have been motivated by sexual jealousy. Police have been made aware of reports that Hannah and David had a fight in a bar with a Thai man before they were killed."
Post-mortem examinations revealed that Ms Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, died from head wounds while Mr Miller, from Jersey, was killed by severe blows to the head and drowning.
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