The family of tragic Premier League footballer Jlloyd Samuel were today seen arriving at his inquest - where they will make the extraordinary claim that his wife Emma 'faked' the car crash that killed him to cash in on insurance fraud.
Samuel's sister, Leslie-Ann, 39, was pictured outside Warrington Coroners' Court holding a sign suggesting his family had been 'denied DNA' to check that the remains found within an incinerated Range Rover belonged to her brother.
The coroner had refused a family request for a private DNA test after explaining that a forensic specialist had already compared teeth from the body with Samuel's dental records and confirmed it was a match.
But Leslie-Ann claimed this was 'lies' and believes the former Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers defender, who died in May 2018 after colliding with a van in Cheshire, is still alive and that the accident was set up by his interior designer wife, Emma.
According to The Sun, the family believe that Samuel wasn't at the wheel when he crashed into the van on a country road in High Legh when returning home after dropping his kids off at school.
Leslie-Ann posted a picture of a letter from the coroner's office which explained that her brother was identified from dental records and radiographs carried out at Warrington hospital two days after the crash.
The letter also states that solicitors representing Mrs Samuel had given the wider family permission to conduct DNA testing. However, his sister has maintained he remains alive and has posted a series of messages on social media since his death.
She wrote 'Jlloyd we WILL see you soon, in this life' and 'Jlloyd brother we know you are ALIVE and well and we know the DNA the pathologist have is not your DNA... 100%... Lies.'
A spokesman for Cheshire Police confirmed they had received a complaint from a member of the Samuel family regarding the inquest into his death.
They said: 'Her complaint was investigated thoroughly by senior officers who ruled that the investigation into Mr Samuel's death was proportionate, timely and of the standard required.
'These conclusions were verified in a peer review by an independent police force. As such, the complaint was not upheld.
'The family member has been informed of this and of the conclusions reached following the investigation into her complaint.
'She was given a 28-day period in which they could appeal the decision, but no appeal was received.'
Samuel, 37 when he died, had married his wife Emma, an interior designer, in 2008 and they had three children together.