Police are offering millions in reward money for information that helps solve four of the territory’s worst murders.
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ACT Policing and the ACT government today announced rewards of $500,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for the deaths of Kathryn Grosvenor, Frank Campbell, Irma Palasics and Susan Winburn.
And detectives from the Homicide Investigations Team will be manning the phones this weekend in a bid to crack the long-running cases.
Canberra's cold cases
Superintendent Brett McCann said police believed, in the current financial climate, $500,000 was a more appropriate figure to entice people into coming forward.
"Basically [we think] this is sufficient inducement for them to come forward to provide some of the evidence we need to solve the matters," he said.
Indemnities from prosecution are also available, where appropriate, for people not directly involved in the crimes.
The move doubles the rewards already on the table for information that helps catch the killers of Ms Grosvenor and Ms Winburn.
The reward for information about the case of Mrs Palasics was previously $100,000.
Reward money has never previously been offered in Mr Campbell’s case.
"The ACT government has never paid out a reward, and I don’t know they’ve actually had a request for payment of a reward, so it’s a little bit of uncharted waters that we’re venturing into," the superintendent said.
"However we feel that we need to try and balance the crime and the amount of money involved in the reward to make a sufficient inducement to bring people forward to provide us with the information necessary."
The murders are among six “cold cases’’ being actively investigated by the six-detective homicide team.
The Homicide Investigations Team also has ongoing probes into the murders of Keren Rowland and Allen Redston.
Ms Rowland’s body was found on May 13, 1971, near the Air Disaster Memorial, off Fairbairn Avenue.
A coroner ruled the 20-year-old probably died of strangulation.
The body of six-year-old Allen Redston was found in September 1966 among long reeds in the Yarralumla Creek bed.
He had been strangled and badly beaten.
The team was established in 2010 to investigate Canberra’s unsolved murders, as well as pursue fresh killings.
Superintendent Brett McCann said the team had spent the past two years actively pursuing leads and questioning witnesses, with inquiries sometimes taking them interstate.
"They’re the right people for the job," he said.
"They’re good investigators, they’re thorough investigators, very capable, very confident, very professional, and they’ve actually enhanced their own skills over the past two-and-a-half years."
Superintendent McCann said a breakthrough in one of the cases would end a lot of the heartache for both the family and the police involved.
"We invest a lot of emotion into these jobs, and it would mean a tremendous amount to each and every person," he said.
"It would mean a hell of a lot to the whole ACT community to have one of these jobs solved."
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or go to act.crimestoppers.com.au
