The parents of a 20-year-old British student who drowned in a swimming pool at a French villa have asked British police to examine her death, saying they remain troubled by what they describe as serious gaps in the local investigation.

Holly Woodcock died during a holiday at a friend’s family home in St Hilaire-la-Foret, France, in August 2024.

Two years later, her parents, Lee and Jo Woodcock, say they are still searching for answers about what happened in the moments before their daughter’s death.

The family has now spoken to the Metropolitan Police after being advised that they could raise their concerns with UK detectives. Their MP, Daniel Francis, has also written to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley asking for the matter to be considered.

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Holly Woodcock, 20, (pictured) mysteriously drowned on holiday while at a friend’s French villa in August 2024

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Holly’s mother Joanna and father Lee are appealing to the British Government to help get French police to reopen their case

Family Says French Investigation Left Questions Unanswered

According to a report prepared by the family’s French lawyers, a number of issues remain unresolved.

Among their concerns is the fact that no emergency call was made for 14 minutes after Holly was found in the pool.

The lawyers’ report also says several people who were present at the property were not interviewed by French police, while some forensic material — including DNA samples and Holly’s swimming costume — was destroyed.

The report further claims that phones were not examined and CCTV footage was never sought.

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Holly, who was studying English and Multimedia Journalism at Manchester Met University, pictured with her mother Jo

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Key evidence, such as DNA samples that could have ruled out a medical incident and her swimming costume, were destroyed

For Holly’s parents, those issues have made it difficult to accept that the circumstances of their daughter’s death have been fully established.

“We’ve tried getting the Foreign Office to take action,” Lee and Jo said.

“For the last two years we have engaged and pleaded with the Foreign Office to support our family with no success.”

They said they had not received correspondence from the Foreign Office since April and were subsequently advised that they could report their concerns to British police.

Met Police Has Already Reviewed the Case

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The Woodcocks want to believe there was no foul play involved in Holly’s death but insist more investigations are needed to be sure. Pictured: Holly with a puppy

The Woodcocks said they have spoken with a Metropolitan Police officer, who told them that a senior detective would assess what steps could potentially be taken.

The family said they had not yet heard the outcome directly.

However, the Met has said an officer spoke with Holly’s parents and submitted a report on August 25.

According to the force, the report was reviewed by the relevant teams and, following that assessment, it was decided that there were no further actions available to the Met.

The family says this decision has not yet been communicated to them directly.

Their MP’s subsequent letter to Sir Mark Rowley has now been received and passed to relevant officers for consideration.

Holly’s Death Was Recorded as Drowning

Holly was studying English and Multimedia Journalism at Manchester Metropolitan University.

She died while on holiday at the French property in August 2024.

A French post-mortem examination concluded that Holly had drowned, but did not establish the precise cause of her death. A report from a French medical examiner also stated that a traumatic cause of death could not be ruled out.

Her body was not repatriated to Britain, meaning there was no UK inquest into her death.

The local investigation was subsequently closed after a post-mortem examination and interviews with some of the people who had been at the property.

For Holly’s parents, that has left them questioning whether all potentially significant evidence was properly examined before the case was closed.

Concerns Over Destroyed Evidence

The family’s French lawyers have specifically raised concerns about the destruction of forensic samples.

Their report says the premature destruction of samples meant that key testing — including evidence that could have helped establish how much Holly had consumed — could not be independently corroborated.

The report also says DNA material that might have helped rule out a medical incident was destroyed, along with Holly’s swimming costume.

The family believes those losses have made it harder to establish a complete account of what happened.

They say they are not claiming that someone was responsible for Holly’s death, but want further investigation before ruling out other possibilities.

“We feel we can’t just accept what’s happened as there are too many unanswered questions,” they said.

Holly’s MP Says He Shares Their Concerns

Daniel Francis, who represents the family, has raised Holly’s case in the House of Commons and continues to support her parents’ campaign for further answers.

He said he had concerns about aspects of the French investigation and understood why the family remained dissatisfied.

“If this was your child you would not expect to have the issues, such as evidence being destroyed, discrepancies with timelines and DNA samples being destroyed,” he said.

“There are a number of issues in the investigation and if I were Mr and Mrs Woodcock I would be asking the same questions and these are questions they need answers to.”

Francis confirmed that he had written to Sir Mark Rowley and was awaiting a response.

Parents Say They Want Certainty, Not Accusations

Throughout their campaign, Holly’s parents have stressed that they want to believe there was no foul play involved in their daughter’s death.

Their concern is that, without a more comprehensive investigation, they cannot be certain that every possibility has been properly examined.

Their appeal to British authorities therefore centres on obtaining further scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding Holly’s death rather than making a definitive allegation about what happened.

The Woodcocks have spent two years trying to obtain answers, and they now hope that the involvement of British authorities could encourage a fuller examination by their French counterparts.

For a family still grieving the loss of their 20-year-old daughter, the una