A reward for information into the cold case death of an opal miner near the NSW town of Lightning Ridge nearly 30 years ago has been increased to $500,000.
The naked and decomposed body of Paul Murray was found in scrub by two graziers about two kilometres from his camp site on Saturday 22 April 1995.
The 40-year-old owned an opal-mining claim about eight kilometres north-west of Lightning Ridge and lived in a camp at the site.
According to NSW Police, Mr Murray was last seen alive on Sunday 19 March 1995 by a local, who had driven him to a location just outside of town at Mr Murray’s request.
His family reported him missing to police a week later.
A post-mortem examination found no signs of trauma or obvious cause of death, and a 1996 Coronial Inquest failed to determine exactly how he died.
Following a review in 2012, the case was referred to detectives from the State Crime Command’s Unsolved Homicide Unit, who established Strike Force Huddleston to further investigate.
The Unsolved Homicide Unit’s Detective Chief Inspector David Laidlaw said police remain open-minded.
“Paul’s body was in an advanced state of decomposition and as such, subsequent investigations and an inquest failed to deliver a concrete answer as to what may’ve happened to him,” Det Ch Insp Laidlaw said.
“At his campsite, investigators found his personal items all in order and a firearm with one round in the chamber, as well as used and unused ammunition.
“Police have always kept an open mind as to the circumstances of his death and hope this reward can encourage the flow of new information,” Det Ch Insp Laidlaw said.
Paul’s sister, Rosemary Pearse, said he was a generous man who readily helped many people within the Lightning Ridge community.
“He would always offer to help anyone in need financially and only ask they repay him when their situation improved,” Ms Pearse said.
“Any information, no matter how small, would assist police and may be what is needed to provide myself and my family with some answers after all these years.”
