Family gives DNA in hunt for outback Briton

Australian Police took DNA swabs from the father and brother of a missing English tourist today in a bid to identify blood found at the outback site where he is believed to have been shot by a gunman.

Police also asked for voluntary DNA samples from people who live in the area of central Australia where Paul Falconio disappeared to rule them out of the investigation.

Falconio, 28, and his girlfriend Joanne Lees, 27, were held up by a gunman as they travelled in a camper van about 160 miles north of Alice Springs on a deserted stretch of the Stuart Highway.

He is believed to have been shot by the gunman. His body has not been found but police say they discovered his blood at the scene.

The highway shooting has sparked one of the biggest manhunts ever in the Australian Outback, involving planes, helicopters and Aboriginal trackers.

Falconio’s father Luciano and his older son Paul, who arrived in Australia yesterday, provided police with DNA before visiting the crime scene Thursday.

‘‘That’s my feeling, he is alive. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here,’’ Luciano Falconio, said.

Joanne’s stepfather Vincent James arrived in Australia today and was immediately taken to the police headquarters in Alice Springs to be reunited with her. She managed to flee from the gunman after he had bound and gagged her and dumped her in the back of his pick-up truck.

Joanne returned to the crime scene yesterday to re-enact her ordeal in the hope it might jog her memory and help provide vital clues for police.

Revealing for the first time details of the re-enactment, police said Joanne was gagged and hogtied and had a bag put over her head during the hour-long exercise, just as she said the gunman had done to her on Saturday night.

Northern Territory Police Commander Max Pope said the experience had been difficult for Joanne, and unfortunately had unearthed no new clues for investigators.

‘‘She was put in the back of the car and she showed us how she escaped; it was extremely traumatic,’’ Pope said.

Joanne is staying at a house in Alice Springs.

Police have scaled down their search around the area where the hold-up happened and concede they are no closer to solving the case.

Scores of people from across Australia have phoned police reporting sightings of the gunman after detectives issued a computer-generated image of the man.