▁manager ▁in ▁Br istol . ▁In ▁August , ▁the ▁police ▁appe aled ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁public ▁for ▁assistance , ▁as ▁many ▁Americans ▁had ▁been ▁station ed ▁in ▁Pen ll er ga er ▁during ▁the ▁( then ▁recent ) ▁Second ▁World ▁War ▁and ▁there ▁was ▁a ▁possibility ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁serv ic emen ▁had ▁sold ▁the ▁weapon . ▁ ▁DNA ▁discovery ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 3 , ▁detect ives ▁re - open ed ▁the ▁case ▁in ▁the ▁hope ▁of ▁finding ▁DNA ▁evidence ▁on ▁the ▁gun , ▁but ▁were ▁not ▁successful ▁as ▁too ▁many ▁people ▁had ▁handled ▁the ▁gun . ▁It ▁was ▁believed ▁the ▁victim ' s ▁clothes ▁had ▁been ▁lost . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 8 , ▁a ▁team ▁of ▁retired ▁detect ives ▁investig ating ▁cold ▁cases ▁found ▁Dr ink water ' s ▁clothes ▁in ▁storage . ▁Her ▁blue ▁coat , ▁under we ar ▁and ▁school ▁uniform ▁had ▁been ▁wrapped ▁in ▁a ▁paper ▁bag ▁and ▁stored . ▁On ▁the ▁back ▁of ▁the ▁coat , ▁a ▁no - long er - visible ▁sem en ▁st ain ▁was ▁circ led ▁with ▁yellow ▁c ray on . ▁Scient ists ▁successfully ▁retrieved ▁a ▁DNA ▁profile ▁from ▁the ▁st ain ▁on ▁the ▁coat . ▁A ▁famil ial ▁DNA ▁profile ▁was ▁extracted ▁using ▁a ▁technique ▁called ▁Y - STR , ▁but ▁no ▁match ▁was ▁found ▁in ▁the ▁national ▁DNA ▁database . ▁Hub ert ▁Ho yles , ▁who ▁saw ▁Dr ink water ▁after ▁bu ying ▁eggs ▁at ▁her ▁parents ' ▁farm , ▁was ▁cleared ▁by ▁the ▁DNA