Valerie Graves murder: Police seeking more DNA samples

Valerie Graves was hit repeatedly on the head and face with a hammer

Detectives searching for the killer of a woman bludgeoned to death in West Sussex have called for more men to come forward and give DNA samples.

Valerie Graves, 55, was found dead in a ground-floor bedroom of a property in Bosham on 30 December 2013.

Voluntary DNA screenings ended in the area on Sunday, but police said they had only collected 2,042 samples rather than the 5,000 they had hoped for.

They urged men who had not volunteered to do so.

A spokeswoman said the samples already collected would be sent for analysis.

£20,000 reward

Ms Graves, an artist, is believed to have been beaten to death with a claw hammer as she house-sat for friends in Smugglers Lane.

She had been staying in the house with her sister, mother and her sister's partner.

A reward of up to £20,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who killed her.

The charity Crimestoppers and Sussex Police have each offered £10,000.