THE PARENTS of murdered backpacker Caroline Stuttle have sent a remarkable and courageous message to parents in Australia and around the world.

A letter from them sits among flowers under the bridge where Caroline's body was found in the Queensland town of Bundaberg.

It includes the touching plea: "Those of you that have daughters, please believe in their dreams and let them pursue their desire to travel and experience life. Let them fly."

To the people of Bundaberg, Alan and Marjorie Stuttle, of Huntington, York, also wrote: "We feel your love and support as love knows no distance.

"We are so proud of Caroline and are so overwhelmed by the support of friends and colleagues that surround us."

Meanwhile, the man seen shadowing Caroline moments before her murder may have been involved in an incident in a shopping mall the morning after her death.

Caroline died from massive head and spinal injuries after being assaulted last Wednesday and then falling from a bridge to her death.

Updated: 11:48 Tuesday, April 16, 2002