The Michaela McAreavey murder trial has been told that her husband John was initially described as a suspect in police logs in the hours after she was found dead.
But a senior police officer involved in the investigation told the trial that he did not know why that term - and the word accused - was used when referring to John McAreavey in official records.
Avinash Treebhoowoon, 30, and Sandip Moneea, 42, deny murdering the 27-year-old daughter of Tyrone football manager Mickey Harte at the island's luxury Legends Hotel last January.
Inspector Sunilduth Nucchedy insisted in court today that he had not identified any suspects at that time and suggested the choice of terminology was an error.
"I can't say why the word suspect has been mentioned in the diary book or the word accused," he told the jury.
A day after a forensic expert from England revealed that no DNA from the two defendants was found on the dead honeymooner, a local Mauritian scientist told the court that tests carried out in labs on the island also did not find genetic material from the men on swabs from her body.
The trial at the Supreme Court in Port Louis was also told that a bellboy - who was one of the first at the room after the murder and who was due to give evidence - has left Mauritius and police do not know where he is.
Having accompanied Mr McAreavey to the hotel room to let him in just before he found his wife dead in the bathtub, the prosecution had planned to call Rajiv Bhujun as a witness.
But Mr Nucchedy said he is abroad and his last known port of call was Dubai.
The only other man currently charged in relation with the crime, fellow Legends employee Dassen Naraynen, has appeared in another court facing a provisional charge of conspiracy to commit larceny in connection with the McAreavey case.
Mrs McAreavey was found dead shortly after having lunch with her husband by the pool at the Legends Hotel.
The prosecution claims she returned to her room to get biscuits for her tea and caught the accused stealing in her room.
The police log entries, which referred to John McAreavey as a suspect, also revealed that a police sentry had been placed outside the room he stayed in the night after his wife died.
But responding to questions from defence counsel Sanjeev Teeluckdharry, representing Mr Treebhoowoon, Mr Nucchedy said the officer was sent to the door of the room to fulfil victim support duties.
"Given that he that he is a foreigner and he just lost his wife in a murder case it could be that the police could be of assistance," he explained.
Mr McAreavey's father Brendan and sister Claire watched from the public gallery of the criminal court this morning.
Mr McAreavey has returned to the island but is unable to attend court proceedings until he gives evidence as a prosecution witness.
McAreavey witness account disputed
It emerged this morning that the hotel worker who claims he saw the two men accused of murdering Mrs McAreavey leave the crime scene did not immediately inform police about his claims.
Raj Theekoy, a one-time suspect in the case, made a signed statement to investigating officers the day after Mrs McAreavey was found strangled.
"I did not kill the lady," he said. "I don't know how she was killed. I don't know anything about the lady."
Mr Theekoy provided no further details about the murder at that time.
Mr Theekoy was originally charged with conspiracy to murder but the case was dropped.
The trial of the two defendants in Port Louis has already been told that the hotel cleaner claims he heard a woman’s cries from the room where Mrs McAreavey was killed and shortly after saw Mr Treebhoowoon and Mr Moneea exit the door.
But he provided none of those details when he was interviewed on 11 January last year.
The contents of his statement were read to court today by one of the police officers present at the interview, Constable Hans Rouwin Seevathian.
