Police won’t disclose the identity of a key person of interest in a baffling cold case, despite claims it could elicit vital information from the community and – ultimately – lead to a breakthrough.

This masthead can also reveal a witness, who believes he saw the man’s car being driven erratically on the night Jessica Zrinski is thought to have died, has not been interviewed by officers.

The revelation has come to light as part of a new multimedia investigation – by the team behind the award-winning podcast, Dear Rachelle – called Left in the Cold, exploring the missing persons case that has lay stagnant for almost three years.

One of the last sightings of the 30-year-old was about 10pm on November 28, 2022, when CCTV captured her getting into a vehicle with a mystery man outside Greenfield Tavern, in Sydney’s west. 

She had just left her grandmother’s house.

About 10 minutes later, footage from a petrol station at Horsley Park showed Jessica sitting in the front passenger seat of the same blue Holden Commodore with a man in a grey T-shirt. 

He refuelled, jumped back in the driver’s side with two bottles of Coke, and took off.

The following day, on November 29, the same car was captured pulling into a petrol station at Mount Victoria, in the Blue Mountains. 

There was damage on the vehicle, and a tree branch was jammed in the door.

It is unclear if Jessica was still in the car.

Police found the man but he wasn’t obliged to assist with inquiries. He was released.

Investigators released the petrol station CCTV in 2023 as part of a public appeal for information, but they blurred the man’s face, his number plate, and did not name him.

In a statement NSW Police said: “For operational, legal, and strategic reasons, NSW Police will not be providing commentary or releasing further details regarding any person of interest at this time.” Police also claimed “premature disclosure could compromise both the integrity of the investigation and the coronial process” and that a comprehensive brief of evidence has been given to the coroner. 

Jessica’s aunt and uncle, Robyn and Vlad Zrinski, who collaborated with the Left in the Cold team, said they don’t understand why the suspect’s identity hasn’t been made public.

Vlad said the CCTV of the suspect’s car with the tree branch had solidified his worst fears.

“When I saw that image of the car pulling up with the branch hanging out of the door, I think I knew then that she (Jessica) wasn’t with us any more,” Vlad said. 

Former homicide detective Damian Loone, who helped bring Lynette Simms’ (Dawson’s) killer to justice in The Teacher’s Pet podcast, said there can be legal issues when targets are publicly identified with insufficient evidence. But in this case, he said, police appear to have “a firm suspect”.

“Why they haven’t released this information is beyond me,” he said.

“If they’ve got a firm suspect, then I would expect that this would have been released to the media, because if someone knows the identity of this person it would only assist your investigation.”

Another ex-homicide detective, Charlie Bezzina, agrees.

“Here is a person with a missing person … this person might have evidence,” Mr Bezzina said. 

This masthead can now also reveal a witness, Sean Edwards, believes he saw the blue station wagon driving erratically on the night police suspect Jessica died.

In an exclusive interview, Mr Edwards said he stopped at a set of lights at the foot of the Blue Mountains at about 4am on November 29, 2022. The Holden emerged from a adjoining street, went through the lights and crossed onto the wrong side of the road.

“And I was looking in the mirror and thinking, ‘what’s he up to?’” Mr Edwards recalled.

“As I looked back, a highway patrol car came down and stopped at the lights.”

A friend of his had the same model of car, in the same shade of blue. He texted his friend that night as a joke, asking: “That wasn’t you running from the cops in your wagon this morning was it?”

The friend replied: “Nah not me lol.”

The text exchange, obtained by this masthead, is dated November 29, 2022 – just hours after Jessica was last seen alive.

Police confirmed they would “promptly” follow up with Mr Edwards. 

Mr Loone said he believed the witness account was both interesting and credible. 

“You have to ask yourself why was this action taken by that driver?” he said.  

“It just tells me that he’s panicking … there may be something in that car that he doesn’t want the police to find.”

For any tips, please email ashlea.hansen@news.com.au

You can also donate to the family’s GoFundMe campaign.

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