Rachel Whitear, the heroin addict whose discoloured body was used in an anti-drugs school campaign, probably did die of an overdose, police revealed today.

A post-mortem examination on the 21-year-old's body and a fresh police investigation found no evidence of any third party involvement in her death, Chief Superintendent Paul Howlett told a press conference at Wiltshire police headquarters in Devizes.

Rachel was found dead in May 2000 at a bedsit in Exmouth in Devon, kneeling with a syringe clutched in her hand.

In 2002 a shocking picture of her body was used in a nationwide schools campaign against drug abuse.

Concerns were raised that all was not as it seemed after it emerged that her boyfriend, Luke Fitzgerald, had lied to police about when he last saw her.

Rachel's mother and stepfather, Pauline and Mick Holcroft, complained that the inquiry by Devon and Cornwall police had not been thorough, and that the coroner who conducted the inquest and recorded an open verdict had not ordered a post-mortem examination.

As a result, Wiltshire Police were asked to conduct a fresh investigation and Rachel's body was exhumed in March from a church graveyard in Withington, near Hereford, nearly four years after she died.

Mr Fitzgerald and another man were arrested in connection with Rachel's death last year, and a file was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service. No further action was taken, as it was felt that there was insufficient evidence to justify a court case.

Today Mr Howlett said: "Toxicological tests have significantly increased our understanding of the cause of Rachel's death.

"Items seized from Rachel's bedroom and other circumstantial evidence suggest that the cause of Rachel's death is likely to be heroin related.

"Furthermore, we have discovered no evidence of any third party involvement in Rachel's death."

The results of further tests will not be known for eight weeks. A file will be sent to the coroner for Exeter and Greater Devon, who will decide whether to reopen the inquest and perhaps change the verdict.

Afterwards Rachel's parents said they were satisfied with the police investigation, and insisted that the exhumation had been necessary to relieve their minds.

"I wouldn't want any other parents to have go through what we have been through for so long," said Mrs Holcroft.

"It's bad enough to lose a daughter or son, but you need to know why."

Mr Holcroft added: "Pauline and I feel we are at last nearing the beginning of the end regarding Rachel's death. The most important thing for Pauline and I now is closure. Rachel deserves to rest in peace, and we deserve to be able to get on with our lives with our ever-growing family."

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