- Valerie Graves was murdered with a claw hammer at house in Bosham
- She had been house-sitting with sister and mother over Christmas period
- Sister Jan found her dead in room on December 30 after she hadn't roused
- Killer remains at large after extensive investigations and 9,500 interviews
- Police are asking all men over 17 who live or work nearby to take DNA test
- They say this will help eliminate as many people as possible from inquiry
Valeria Graves, 55, was found bludgeoned to death at the mansion she had been house-sitting last year
Detectives investigating the murder of Valerie Graves who was bludgeoned to death at a £1.6million mansion a year ago, are asking every man in the area to take a DNA test.
The 55-year-old artist was murdered with a claw hammer in a ground floor bedroom at the house in Bosham, West Sussex - a village featured in ITV drama Midsomer Murders.
She had been house-sitting with her sister Janet, 60, Janet's architect boyfriend Nigel Acres, 59, and their elderly mother Eileen, 87, while the property's owners holidayed abroad over Christmas.
She had gone to bed at around 10pm on December 30, and nothing more was heard of her. Twelve hours later, her sister Janet found her dead in her room, at the rear of the house.
A post-mortem examination revealed Ms Graves had suffered significant head and facial injuries at the house in Smugglers Lane.
And despite extensive investigations, including interviews with more than 9,500 people by police, her killer still remains at large.
In a bid to find the culprit, a £20,000 reward has been offered, a BBC Crimewatch appeal has been made and a limited DNA match of a suspect has been yielded.
Police returned to the village, near Chichester, today to speak to residents and visitors in an attempt to force a breakthrough.
Detective Superintendent Nick May, of the Surrey and Sussex major crime team, said officers would return tomorrow, between 10am and 4pm, to speak to residents and visitors.
Officers also handed out leaflets and put up posters asking 'all men aged over 17 who live, work or visit Bosham to help police find Valerie's killer by providing a simple DNA mouth swab and thumbprint' to 'enable police to eliminate as many men as possible from the inquiry'.
This is the claw hammer police believe was used to bludgeon the 55-year-old artist to death on December 30
Police returned to the village today to hand out leaflets to neighbouring houses in the area and ask all men to take DNA tests
The drop-in sessions will take place at the Millstream Hotel in Bosham between January 21 and 29, February 2 and 7, and February 10 and 15, police said.
Mr May said: 'We need the public's help to catch this person before they hurt someone else and to get justice for Valerie and her family.'
Last week, Ms Graves's family spoke of their difficulty in coming to terms with the death as the first anniversary approaches.
Her son, Tim Wood, 32, described the last 12 months as 'terrible'. He said: 'It's hard to carry on knowing that someone is out there able to do it to someone else and knowing that they haven't been caught for what they have done.'
Appealing directly for information about the killer, he went on: 'Please come forward to give us that information that may lead to catching the person responsible.
Nigel Acres, partner of Valerie Graves' sister Jan, Ms Graves' son Tim Wood and her daughter Jemima Harrison, at a press briefing to mark the first anniversary of her murder, in West Sussex, last week
'It would give some closure, knowing that they were off the streets, so that they couldn't do that to anyone else. I would hate anyone else to have to go through this.'
Her sister's partner, Nigel Acres, added: '(Jan's) devastated by the whole event.
'Valerie had moved down from Scotland to look after her mother so she had been living in the area for seven or eight months before last Christmas.
'Jan had got to know her sister again because they didn't see each other often.
Ms Graves' family described her as an 'excellent mother and grandmother' and a 'nice, kind and loving woman'
'Unfortunately, she was the person who found her sister so that's an horrific mental image that she hasn't been able to get out of her mind.
'She's struggling, poor thing. It has completely devastated her. To catch the person who was responsible will bring some closure.
'It's not going to bring Valerie back and that's what's important. Until that happens, we can't see any way forward.'
Mr Acres recalled events on December 29 which led up to the discovery of Ms Graves' body the following morning at around 10am.
He said: 'I had been out to London that day and I got back in the evening.
'Jan had spent the day with her mother and her sister. It was another holiday so it was very calm. It was just a very pleasant evening.
'They had been watching television and then everyone drifted off to bed in the usual way. Nothing out of the ordinary, absolutely nothing.
'I came down in the morning for breakfast. Jan had already been down there in the kitchen and we noticed the bedroom door where Valerie had been sleeping was open.
'We didn't raise any alarm at that stage because Jan's mother had been ill prior to Christmas and we thought she may have spent the night in her mother's bedroom, just to look after her.
'I went off to the farm shop to get some provisions for breakfast. It wasn't until I came back and there was a paramedic that I personally was alerted to (Ms Graves' death).
'Jan had gone in to check on her sister and unfortunately found her in the position she did.'
Mr Wood said he received news of his mother's murder as he was running his daughter's bath.
He said: 'It was horrific. I had come in from work. I was running my daughter a bath and there was a knock on the door. My partner answered it and let the officer in and I got told my mother had passed away.'
Police, who returned to the village today, have put up signs around the village asking residents to complete a voluntary DNA sample, which they say will help eliminate as many people as possible
Volunteers have been busy handing out leaflets with information about the investigation to residents today
Despite extensive investigations, including interviews with more than 9,500 people by police, Ms Graves' killer still remains at large
He described her as an 'excellent mother' and 'great grandmother', while her daughter, Jemima Harrison, 35, added: 'She liked to mess around.
'She was very nice, kind and loving.'
She added that Christmas was a poignant time of year to mourn their mother but that her loss was felt keenly year-round.
Ms Harrison went on: 'There are lots of things throughout the year that we would have done as a family when Mum has not been there.
The scene outside the £1.6m house in Bosham last year when Ms Graves' was found bludgeoned to death
A police team searches a small stream in a field near to the house where she was killed. Ms Graves' was found dead by her sister, who went into her room to wake her after she had not roused 12 hours after going to bed
'It's really difficult this time of year but it's difficult throughout the whole year.'
A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of her murder but was later released without charge.
Anyone with information is asked to call Sussex Police on 101, quoting Operation Ensign, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The Millstream Hotel in Bosham where the DNA screening will take place between January 21 and 29, February 2 and 7, and February 10 and 15 next year
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