THE father of a Forest of Dean woman who was murdered in France almost 20 years ago is frustrated evidence which could reveal the identity of her killer has gone missing.

Roger Parrish, from Newnham-on-Severn, has been told by French authorities crucial DNA evidence relating to the murder of his daughter Joanna has been lost.

Joanna, who was 21, was brutally raped and murdered in the south of France in 1990, where she was spending her gap year teaching in the city of Auxerre.

French Police made 67-year-old Michel Fourniret an official suspect in the case last year after he was convicted of seven similar offences.

During the renewed investigation DNA evidence taken from the murder scene was taken to a specialist laboratory for examination.

But in a meeting with the authorities last week Mr Parrish was told that the evidence taken from the murder scene had now been lost.

"One of the laboratories holding the evidence appears to have lost it," he said.

"Although it's not entirely unexpected it is a major setback."

"We follow other cases and know just how vital DNA evidence is. It could have confirmed whether it was him or not."

Fourniret was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of seven women between the age of 12 and 21 in May 2008 after a two-month trial.

His wife Monique Oliver, 59, was found guilty of assisting her husband with some of the killings and also sentenced to life.

Mr Parrish has not given up hope of new evidence coming to light, but the chances of his daughter's killer being officially revealed may have disappeared.

Even if the evidence had acquitted Fourniret, Mr Parrish said he would prefer to know one way or the other.

"Even if this couple are not guilty – it's better for us to know than to be in a split mind," he said.

"The magistrates tell us that there is quite a lot of circumstantial evidence pointing towards it being him,"

"But it still doesn't 100% prove it was him so we will always have doubts.

"The DNA evidence would tell us whether Fourniret and his wife, Monique Olivier, are guilty or not guilty of Jo's murder.

"It is not completely the end of the line but the biggest chance has slipped through our grasp."