Newtown Gunman's Body Claimed For Burial

The body of the man who killed 26 people at a Connecticut school has been claimed for burial.

A spokesman for Adam Lanza's family said on Monday that his father Peter Lanza claimed the remains.

He added that there were private arrangements over the weekend, but he would not elaborate.

The 20-year-old gunman shot dead 20 young children and six staff members at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

He also killed his mother in their Newtown home before going on the rampage.

He finally took his own life at the school.

The coroner ruled his death a suicide, but is awaiting results of toxicology tests before completing the case.

A private funeral was held earlier this month in New Hampshire for his mother, Nancy Lanza.

It is unclear if the same funeral home would be handling her son's burial.

Peter Lanza - who lives in Stamford and is a tax director at General Electric - had little contact with his son in the past two years.

Adam Lanza also had an older brother Ryan, aged 24.

Before removal, samples were taken from the killer's body by geneticists who were asked to study his DNA.

The University of Connecticut scientists are looking for abnormalities or mutations in Lanza's genome that could have increased the risk of aggressive or violent behaviour.