Officers say they are getting closer to solving the murder of wealthy 89-year-old Hugo Benscher, found bound, gagged and bashed in his Gold Coast canalfront home in 1992.

Hugo Benscher: Cold case murder reviewed with police to interview original and new witnesses

Son receives ‘last chance’ for cold case justice over 1992 murder of his father Hugo Benscher

COLD CASE: The 1992 murder of 89-year-old Hugo Benscher in his Gold Coast home remains unsolved

Investigators from the homicide cold case team announced in August they were reviewing the Paradise Point murder mystery.

They are investigating whether the elderly man was targeted by a gang of thieves who were committing terrifying home invasions in the area at the time.

It is possible the thieves ambushed Mr Benscher by using a boat on the canal to access his home.

In the past months, police have travelled across Australia reinterviewing witnesses and following new leads in a fresh bid to solve the violent crime.

Homicide Investigation Unit Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell said police had made good progress in their investigation.

“Information has come in from Crime Stoppers as a result of our plea,” she said.

“But we know there are still people out there who hold vital information.

“I would like to provide closure for this man and his family. It’s a tragic situation.”

Mr Benscher moved to the Gold Coast from Sydney in 1986 following the death of his wife.

He’d bought a large waterfront home in which to live out his retirement years, having made his fortune from inventing a seamless inflatable ball bladder and valve still used in sporting equipment today. He also bought a large fishing boat that he kept moored out the front on the canal.

Detectives say he spent a lot of time at the nearby Runaway Bay Yacht Club where he would chat with other customers.

It is thought that people at the yacht club learned of the old man’s wealth, possibly making him a target.

Mr Benscher was last seen alive on the morning of Saturday, June 20, 1992. He was still alive at 8pm that night when he spoke to someone on the phone.

Neighbours told police they woke that night to the sounds of a high-revving outboard motor coming into the canal.

The following morning, Mr Benscher was discovered dead on the floor of his home. He’d been tied up, blindfolded, gagged with electrical tape and bashed over the head. His house had been ransacked.

Police want to hear from:

* Anyone who spoke with Mr Benscher at the Runaway Bay Yacht Club around 1992

* Anyone with information on a boat in the canal on the night of the murder

* Anyone who remembers seeing a beige Datsun near Mr Benscher’s home on Paterson Place, Paradise Point around June 20, 1992.

“There is a $250,000 reward on offer for anyone with information that leads to the conviction of the person or people responsible for Hugo’s murder,” Det Sen Sgt Kentwell said.

Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000