Claire Martin's Italian mystery death case reopened

Claire and partner Diego had just started a family

The death of a British woman who was found near her house in Italy with 10 knife wounds to her neck six years ago is to be reinvestigated.

The Italian authorities had concluded Claire Martin killed herself after suffering from post-natal depression.

However, her parents Pat and Ray Martin, from Nottinghamshire, have always believed she was murdered.

They said hair fibre and skin found under their daughter's nails had led to the case being reopened.

Claire's parents, Pat and Ray, said her death had changed their lives forever

Ms Martin lived with her baby son and her in-laws near Naples, while her partner Diego worked in Germany.

In March 2012, she suffered multiple stab wounds to her neck after leaving her house, before collapsing and bleeding to death.

Before she died, the 30-year-old apparently gasped "it was a man" to her mother-in-law and gestured to land at the back of the house.

Italian police initially investigated the death as a murder but closed the case 15 months later saying the evidence pointed to suicide.

A knife was found near the scene of Claire Martin's death

Dr Stuart Hamilton, a Home Office pathologist, and retired detective Tony Blockley rejected this during a BBC Inside Out investigation.

"If I was briefing a senior investigating officer at this autopsy, I would be suggesting that you need to go and find the murderer," Dr Hamilton had said.

Following the programme, Ms Martin's parents, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, met with a public prosecutor in Italy who promised he would look again at the case.

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• Parents think daughter was murdered

Mr and Mrs Martin later received a letter from their Italian solicitor saying new evidence had been found.

"It was really good news," said Mrs Martin. "A bolt out of the blue."

Mr Martin said: "Apparently it's hair fibre and skin that were found under my daughter's nails has now been tested to see if they can glean any DNA off it.

"I honestly believe there's a 50% chance they may get a match but let's wait and see."

You can see this story in full on BBC Inside Out East Midlands at 19:30 GMT on Monday on BBC One, or via iPlayer for 30 days afterwards.