Speculation ended when police said forensic tests had determined the body part was not human.

Police were alerted when what appeared to be the lower part of a man's torso was found in 13ft deep water near Marla in South Australia.

A team of police divers was called in but found no further body parts during an extensive search of the water today.

The remains, discovered at a dam by a station hand, were flown to Adelaide where they were analysed by a forensic expert.

A police spokesman said today: "The remains are from a large animal - it could have been a horse or a cow, we're not sure."

He said a forensic pathologist had taken samples and put them under the microscope.

"They are definitely not human," said the police spokesman.

Mr Falconio, 28, of Hepworth, was last seen on July 14, 2001, while on a backpacking trip with his girlfriend Joanne Lees.

He is believed to have been killed after the couple were flagged down by a gunman on the Stuart Highway.

Miss Lees escaped and reported the attack to police, sparking one of the biggest manhunts in Australian history.

Despite the police search and the work of Aboriginal trackers, Mr Falconio's body was never found.

Bradley John Murdoch, 44, has been charged with his murder.

He is awaiting trial on unrelated rape and abduction charges in South Australia and is expected to be tried for Mr Falconio's killing later.

Following the discovery of the remains, Mr Falconio's brother Nick said he was hoping they would turn out to be Peter's so the family could hold a funeral.

Joanne Lees, who is 30 is next week, returned to Britain after her boyfriend disappeared and is working in Brighton.

Her stepfather Vincent James, who lives in Almondbury, said she had only just started to put her life back together.

"It's incredibly hard for her."

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