Murder inquiry could take months

The detective leading the hunt for the Fakenham murderer said the investigation could continue for months if necessary to find crucial evidence.Steven Murphy, 45, was found stabbed to death in his home on King's Road six weeks ago.

The detective leading the hunt for the Fakenham murderer said the investigation could continue for months if necessary to find crucial evidence.

Steven Murphy, 45, was found stabbed to death in his home on King's Road six weeks ago.

The attacker has so far eluded detectives despite more than 1,300 lines of enquiry and a �10,000 reward offered by the family for information leading to a conviction.

But Det Chief Insp Jes Fry said there could be no thoughts of scaling down the investigation after recruiting more manpower to boost his team, which now stands at between 20 and 25 officers.

“We have drawn some other resources to supplement our numbers,” he said.

“There is enough work here to keep us going for several months. There is no consideration for slowing it down until we have looked at every avenue.

“Unless we come to a positive result, which could come out at any time, it could run for several months until we come across that little piece of information we need.”

Det Chief Insp Fry said Mr Murphy's mother, Valerie Tuck, had visited the incident room last week for a briefing on the investigation.

“They were very supportive of how the inquiry is being progressed,” he said. “I told her it was still solvable and there are still a lot of enquiries to be done before we even consider the idea it might not come together. There are still forensic submissions being processed and there are all sorts of ways it can be detected. The family went away thinking it was more positive than they realised.”

t Anyone with information should contact Norfolk police on 0845 456 4567.