Robin Bowles is writing a book on the mystery and has spent nine months investigating the Northern Territory's most infamous crime.

As part of her investigations, Ms Bowles has been travelling through the Outback with an Aboriginal psychic and a shovel looking for the body of Peter Falconio.

While she failed to find his corpse, she hired a helper to go back to the site where they were digging to do the job "properly".

"It would be a shame if in three years' time the body was discovered where we were digging and it's all because we did not go far enough," she said.

"The body is important. At the moment, there is no body, no murder weapon and no motive, which are the critical elements to a murder and supporters of Bradley Murdoch, the accused man, say `What if the guy isn't even dead?'"

Mr Falconio, 28, of Hepworth, vanished in July 2001 while on a trek through Australia with his girlfriend Joanne Lees, 29, of Almondbury.

The pair were ambushed on a remote Outback highway near Barrow Creek and Mr Falconio was never seen again.

Miss Lees, who was bound by the gunman, managed to hide in the bush for several hours after hearing a gunshot.

Murdoch, 45 has been charged with Mr Falconio's murder but is in custody in the neighbouring state of South Australia after being arrested in connection with the abduction and rape of a mother and her 12-year-old daughter, for which he will be tried in October.

Only after that case is over, will an application be made for him to be extradited to face proceedings in the Northern Territory.

Ms Bowles had conducted about 60 interviews so far, but has not been able to interview Miss Lees.

She expects to release her book at the end of 2004.

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