A preliminary autopsy on the body of a British student murdered here last week appears to have ruled out that she was raped.
Medical examiners said that while indications were that the victim did have sexual relations before her death, there were no signs of violence to indicate rape.
Nevertheless, investigators are leaving open the possibility that she may have been forced to have sex under the threat of violence and that more that one assailant could have been involved.
A medical examiner's report issued on Monday confirmed the probable cause of death was a deep wound to the throat, presumably by a knife.
The body of Meredith Kercher, 22, was found the night between November 1 and 2 in the house she shared here with three other girls on the outskirts of this central Italian city.
All four were taking part in the European Union's Erasmus university exchange programme.
Kercher was discovered by one of her roommates who found the door to the villa slightly ajar. This has led investigators to consider that she may have voluntarily let her assailant inside.
The investigation is focusing on the scene of the crime where a significant amount of physical and biological evidence has been found, including bloodstains and fingerprints.
Investigators said on Monday that the victim's two cellphones, one Italian and the other British, showed no outgoing calls after midnight between Thursday and Friday.
The two phones were found in a neighbor's garden the day after the murder.
Kercher, a student of Leeds University, arrived here at the end of August for a one-year programme.
