Hunt for clues in Jo Yeates case goes on

Detectives are considering whether the 25-year-old may have been strangled with her own ski sock – which her killer might then have kept as a trophy.

As well as missing a sock, Miss Yeates, who was last seen alive nearly three weeks ago, was also not wearing her coat or boots when her body was found, but these were recovered from her flat in Canynge Road, Clifton.

Yesterday, police were searching drains in neighbouring streets. An industrial drain cleaner was used to dredge up debris before officers used sticks to work through the leaves and mud.

As well as looking for the missing sock and any other clues as to the chain of events the night she went missing, police are still searching for evidence of the pizza Miss Yeates bought in the Tesco Express near her home on December 17 after going for drinks with colleagues.

Miss Yeates was found three miles from her home by a couple walking their dogs on Christmas morning. She had been

strangled.

Police said that since an appeal page was placed on Facebook on Tuesday it had been viewed nearly 250,000 times and hundreds of people have clicked through to the police's contact form.

There have also been more than 70,000 views of the appeal on the Avon and Somerset Police website and more than 120,000 people have watched CCTV of Miss Yeates placed on YouTube.

Her landlord, retired Clifton College teacher Chris Jefferies, 65, was arrested on suspicion of her murder but freed on bail after three days of questioning.