$500,000 reward offered 26 years after woman found dead at bottom of cliff in Australia

Government officials in Queensland, Australia, are offering a $500,000 reward for information about the mysterious death of a young woman two decades ago. 

The 25-year-old, identified by Queensland Police as Meaghan Louise Rose, was found dead at the base of Point Cartwright Cliffs at Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast on July 18, 1997, Queensland Police said in a news release announcing the reward.

Although authorities initially deemed her death “non-suspicious,” they later opened an investigation after discovering new details surrounding Rose’s case that pointed to potentially suspicious circumstances. Queensland Police cited a life insurance policy taken out prior to her death as one example.

The department is offering the reward to anyone who can provide information leading to an arrest and conviction in Rose’s case, although the government prize also “offers an opportunity for indemnity against prosecution for any accomplice,” if they can provide the information and did not commit the alleged murder themselves, according to Queensland Police.

Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell said in a statement that, as investigators continue to probe the cold case homicide, they are “particularly appealing to members of the community who knew Meaghan around the time of her death, many whom live at the Sunshine Coast and Victoria, to think back and provide any information about her no matter how irrelevant they think it may be.”

“A number of lines of enquiry are being examined as we speak,” Kentwell’s statement continued. Hours after the government reward was announced for Rose’s case, a 70-year-old man questioned Sunday in connection with the investigation disappeared from the Portland area of Victoria, the Australian news station Nine News reported, citing police, who reportedly identified the man as Keith.

“His vehicle, a silver Holden Captiva, was located at the Cape Nelson Lighthouse carpark on 26 June about 5:30 p.m.,” Victoria Police said, according to Nine News.

The government reward in Rose’s cold case comes as leaders elsewhere in Australia offer large prizes for information leading to convictions in long-unsolved homicide or missing persons cases. In Western Australia, government officials recently announced that $1 million rewards would be given out for tips that would allow police to solve any one of the state’s 64 cold cases. 

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