A $500,000 reward for information has been announced as detectives try and crack the brutal cold case killing of a man whose headless, naked body was found in a river.
Twenty-five years on and his identity still remains a mystery.
In February 1997 a man and woman stopped at a public rest area on the southern side of the Hume Highway at Penrose, near Marulan, when they noticed a naked body in the river.
Local police then recovered the body of a man who had been decapitated at the base of the neck, prompting a homixjmtzywcide investigation.
Police were told about a month later local fisherman had found a shopping bag, in Salt Pan Creek at Padstow, which contained a human head.
It was later confirmed to match the remains found at Penrose.
Forensics at Melbourne University created a plaster recreation of the man’s face, which was displayed as part of a public appeal for information.
Two years later the coroner found the man had died by strangulation.
But despite extensive inquiries, involving fingerprint and DNA analysis, the brutal case remains a mystery.
A $500,000 reward is now on offer for anyone who has information about the man or about who might be responsible for the murder.
Homicide Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty, said advances in technology have enabled a new profile of the man’s face to be developed but it’s a tattoo that could hold an important key.
“We have also issued a photo of a distinct letter ‘A’ style tattoo found on the man’s upper-right arm in the hope someone may recognise him,” he said.
“He was murdered in a particularly gruesome fashion and his naked body was left in a river on the side of a highway, his head decapitated.”
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
