Buried secrets, killers hiding in plain sight: $500k rewards for clues to convictions
The identities of some of the state’s most wanted criminals remain a mystery - here are their chilling crimes and the cash rewards on offer for their capture.
QLD News
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They’re the crimes that have haunted Queensland for decades, vanishing schoolgirls, roadside executions, and killers who melted into the landscape without a trace.
Behind each mystery is a grieving family still waiting for justice.
Last week, police renewed their public appeal in one of Queensland’s oldest unsolved taxi driver murders, the brutal 1987 slaying of Bundaberg father-of-three Bryan Hodgkinson, increasing the reward for information to $500,000.
His killing, once again in the public spotlight, underscores the enduring agony of unsolved homicides and the police belief that someone, somewhere, still holds the answers.
The state government is now offering up to half a million dollars in 20 separate cases, hoping to break the silence that has shielded these killers for years and, in some cases, decades.
These rewards apply only where conventional police avenues have been exhausted, but where investigators still believe key information remains in the community.
In many of these cases, immunity from prosecution may be offered to accomplices who come forward first.
Information about any of the following 20 cold cases could help bring long-awaited justice to grieving families and provide answers in some of Queensland’s most chilling unsolved crimes.
Bryan Hodgkinson – Bundaberg taxi driver murder (1987 updates reward July 2025)
On the morning of 10 September 1987, 48-year-old Bryan Hodgkinson’s body was found on Goodwood Rd, south of Bundaberg. The quiet father-of-three had been stabbed and bludgeoned to death during his night shift as a taxi driver. His cab was discovered abandoned in a suburban street with the keys and cash pouch missing. This month, a forensic breakthrough provided investigators with a partial DNA profile that could advance the case.
Police believe the person responsible may have spoken to others about the crime. A $500,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to a conviction. Immunity from prosecution is also possibly available for any accomplice who comes forward first.
Tina Louise Greer – Hinterland mystery (2012)
Tina Greer, 32, vanished in January 2012 after visiting her partner in the Gold Coast hinterland. She failed to collect her daughter as planned, and her car was later found abandoned in the remote Green Mountains area. Her partner, Leslie “Grumpy” Sharman, who had a history of violence, was a suspect but died in a traffic accident in 2018 before any charges could be laid. Police still believe she was murdered. A reward of $250,000 remains open for anyone who can help secure a conviction.
Omega Ruston – Gold Coast highway shooting (2009)
On Australia Day 2009, 32-year-old father Omega Ruston was gunned down in front of multiple witnesses on the Gold Coast Highway at Burleigh Heads. He had pulled over after a traffic altercation and was speaking to occupants of another vehicle when he was shot twice. The gunman fled in a maroon sedan believed to be a late-model Holden Commodore. The Queensland Government is offering a $250,000 reward for any information that leads to a conviction and an appropriate indemnity from prosecution will be recommended for any accomplice, not being the person who actually committed the crime, who first gives such information.
Francis Patrick Foley – Gemfields fossicker murder (2008)
Francis Foley disappeared while fossicking in the Rubyvale region in central Queensland in 2008. At the time, the 62-year-old’s disappearance was considered suspicious, but no remains were located. In 2023, forensic analysis confirmed bones discovered near Rubyvale belonged to Foley and later investigations concluded he had been murdered. Police believe he may have been killed over a dispute, potentially linked to the fossicking community. Investigators are still trying to determine who was responsible and why. A $500,000 reward is being offered to anyone who can provide information leading to a conviction.
Jay Anthony Brogden – Whitsundays disappearance (2007)
Jay Brogden, 21, disappeared in April 2007 after last being seen in the company of known associates in Cannonvale, in the Whitsundays. Police believe he was murdered and that his remains were concealed, based on ongoing investigations. Over the years, investigators have spoken to dozens of people but no charges have resulted. His family continues to appeal for answers. A $500,000 reward remains on offer for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
Kathleen O’Shea – Disappearance and suspected murder (2005)
Kathleen O’Shea was last seen alive in Rockhampton in early 2005. At the time, the 44-year-old’s disappearance was treated as a missing person case. A 2014 inquest before coroner Jane Bentley found that Ms O’Shea was likely murdered soon after she left the Atherton Hotel on December 29. Police now believe she was murdered and that her remains were deliberately concealed. Investigators have re-examined the case several times and believe individuals within the community still hold vital information. A $500,000 reward was announced in March 2024 for information that helps identify and convict the person or people responsible for her death.
Marc Kristian Mietus – Disappearance (2000)
Marc Mietus, 21, had just moved from Melbourne to Brisbane when he vanished on Australia Day in 2000. He was last seen near Booyal, west of Bundaberg, reportedly after offering a lift to a hitchhiker. Mietus was himself planning to hitchhike, possibly to Hervey Bay, but never arrived. His car was never located and his body has never been found. Police suspect he was murdered during his travels, based on the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. A $500,000 reward remains in place for anyone with information that leads to a conviction.
Rachel Joy Antonio – Disappearance (1998)
Rachel Antonio, 15, vanished after her mother Cheryl drove the 16-year-old to the Summer Garden Cinema at the corner of Beach Ave and Murroona St, Queens Beach, Bowen. As the movie did not start until 7pm Rachel intended to walk down to the “stinger nets” at the end of Beach Ave, about 200m from the cinema. She was seen leaving the beach by a number of people at 6.45pm. She was seen walking on Queens Beach Esplanade shortly after, but has not been seen since. Police continue to treat the matter as a suspected homicide. A $500,000 reward remains active for information that leads to a successful prosecution.
Celena Bridge – Conondale disappearance (1998)
British national Celena Bridge, 28, vanished while travelling in Queensland in mid-1998. She arrived in Australia in May and was due to meet her fiance, Jonathon Webb, for a holiday together. When she failed to show, he reported her missing on August 10. Her last confirmed sighting was on July 16, 1998 along Booloumba Creek Rd in Conondale, and her bank account was last accessed three days earlier in Brisbane. Despite extensive investigations, no trace of her has ever been found. Her disappearance remains unsolved, with police treating it as suspicious. There is a $250,000 reward for appropriate information leading to convictions.
Gregory James Thurlow – Disappearance (1996)
Twenty-seven-year-old Gregory Thurlow was last seen in southeast Queensland on October 2, 1996. He was known to have a history of drug use and petty crime, but had been trying to turn his life around. Investigators believe he was murdered and that his body was concealed to hide the crime, based on available evidence. Multiple people are suspected of having knowledge of his fate, but none have come forward. Despite numerous appeals, the case remains unsolved. A $500,000 reward is being offered for evidence that secures a conviction.
Tamela Lisa Menzies (Tammy Dyson) – Gold Coast disappearance (1995)
In July 1995, Tamela Menzies, 23, also known as Tammy Dyson, left a rehabilitation centre on the Gold Coast with a woman falsely claiming to be her sister. She had been working in the adult entertainment industry and associated with known Brisbane criminal identities. On July 16, 1995, she entered a drug rehabilitation centre at Currumbin where she stayed until July 20, 1995. On 22 July 1995, she telephoned family members. To date, no further contact has been received from Tamela and her remains have not been located. A Coronial Inquest was unable to ascertain the date, time and cause of her death. The State Coroner concluded Tamela had died and indicated she may have been the subject of violence. Tamela’s suspected murder has remained unsolved for the past 26 years.
Police believe she was likely murdered shortly after her disappearance and suspect that individuals linked to organised crime may have been involved. Her family has continued to seek answers for nearly 30 years. In April 2024, a $500,000 reward was announced for information that leads to a prosecution.
Leslie Ball – Suspected homicide in Logan (1993)
Leslie Ball, 45, disappeared from the Logan area in August 1993. Friends and associates initially believed he had moved on, but no confirmed sightings were ever verified. Over time, his disappearance became the subject of a homicide investigation. Police now believe he was murdered, potentially in the company of known associates, and that his body was concealed. In January 2024, a $500,000 reward was offered for any credible information leading to a conviction in the case.
Oakdale Guest House Fire – Ipswich arson attack (1990)
In the early hours of October 23, 1990, a deliberately lit fire tore through the Oakdale Private Hotel on Thorn St, Ipswich, killing five men. The victims were pensioners or low-income residents who had little chance of escape due to the building’s timber construction and the fire’s location at the base of the stairwell, blocking exits. Investigators concluded the blaze was an act of arson, but no one has ever been charged. In October 2024, a $500,000 reward was announced to help bring those responsible to justice.
Sharron Phillips – Wacol disappearance and suspected murder (1986)
Sharron Phillips was 20 years old when she vanished on May 8, 1986, after running out of petrol on Ipswich Road at Wacol, west of Brisbane. She made two calls from a nearby service station — the first to her boyfriend, who accidentally went to the wrong location, and a second later that night, but he had already left. An initial 1988 inquest found she had disappeared in suspicious circumstances, but no one was charged. In 2016, new information led police to suspect deceased taxi driver Raymond Mulvihill, whose son Ian Seeley alleged Mulvihill had made a deathbed confession and showed him where the body was hidden. Police later confirmed they believed Mulvihill murdered Ms Phillips, and said they would have charged him if he were still alive. A second inquest commenced in 2017, with the coroner’s final findings delivered in May 2024.
16. Elizabeth Henry – Brutal Toowoomba murder (1983)
In February 1998, 30-year-old Elizabeth Henry, who was four months pregnant, was found bludgeoned and partially burnt in Samford, northwest of Brisbane. Her naked body was found by a jogger in a cleared gravel reserve on Bygotts Rd, Samford. She was lying face down and had suffered several blows to the head with an unknown instrument. A distinctive pattern of bruising was on her back. An attempt had been made to incinerate her body. She was last seen alive at the intersection of Terrence and Brunswick streets, Fortitude Valley at about 11.45pm on Wednesday February 11, 1998. There is a $500,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction.
Marilyn Wallman – Schoolgirl abduction and murder (1972)
Fourteen-year-old Marilyn Wallman was cycling to catch the school bus near her family’s property in Mackay when she vanished on March 21, 1972. Her bicycle and school books were discovered shortly afterwards, sparking one of Queensland’s most enduring manhunts. Skeletal remains located two years later were confirmed to be hers. Despite strong suspects and repeated reinvestigations, no one has been held accountable for her murder. The Wallman family and the Mackay community have waited over 50 years for closure. A $500,000 reward, increased in 2018, remains active for any information leading to a conviction in her case.
Anita Cunningham and Robin Hoinville-Bartram – vanishing couple (1972)
In July 1972, 19-year-old Robin Hoinville-Bartram and 18-year-old Anita Cunningham disappeared while hitchhiking from Melbourne to Bowen, Queensland. On 4 July 1972 Robin Jeanne Hoinville-Bartram left Melbourne in company with Anita Cunningham for a hitchhiking holiday to visit her mother in Bowen. On 15 November 1972, Hoinville-Bartram’s remains were located in Sensible Creek under a bridge on the Flinders Highway, about 80km west of Charters Towers. She had been shot twice in the head by a .22 calibre rifle. No trace of Anita Cunningham has been found. The case is one of Queensland’s longest-running disappearances. A $500,000 reward is still available for credible information leading to a conviction.
19. Gabriel Jahnke and Michelle Riley – Double murder (1973)
Teenagers Gabriele Jahnke, 19, and Michelle Riley, 16, were last seen getting out of a taxi near Brisbane CBD in October 1973. The body of Gabriel was found at the bottom of a steep embankment at the side of the Pacific Highway, at Ormeau, at about 8am on October 13, 1973. The body of Michelle was found about 12m from the road side on the Mount Tamborine Highway, 6km south of Logan Village at about 6pm on October 23, 1973. The cause of death in each instance was a fractured skull. They were last seen alive when they got out of a Black and White Taxi near Petrie Bight, Brisbane, at about 10am on Saturday, October 6, 1973. A $250,000 reward remains open for information that helps convict those responsible.
Barbara McCulkin and daughters – Triple disappearance (1974)
On the evening of January 16, 1974, Barbara McCulkin and her daughters Vicki, 13, and Leanne, 11, vanished from their Brisbane home. Police believe the trio were abducted and murdered because Barbara may have had knowledge of those responsible for the 1973 Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub firebombing. In 2015, Vincent O’Dempsey was charged and later convicted of their murders. However, the girls’ remains have never been found. A $250,000 reward remains active for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the murders.
■ If you know something, anything, about the following cases, you could help bring justice to grieving families and finally close the book on some of Queensland’s most chilling crimes
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