The 1998 murder of the Ashburton schoolgirl remains one of New Zealand's most high-profile cold cases.

Kirsty disappeared on December 31, 1998, while walking the family dog Abby on the banks of the Ashburton River.

The day after Kirsty went missing, the family's dog Abby was found tied to a tree n… The 1998 murder of the Ashburton schoolgirl remains one of New Zealand's most high-profile cold cases.

Kirsty disappeared on December 31, 1998, while walking the family dog Abby on the banks of the Ashburton River.

The day after Kirsty went missing, the family's dog Abby was found tied to a tree near the river, and the teen's underwear was nearby.

Her body was found two weeks later, hidden in dense scrub almost 50km away. 

To date, no one has been arrested for her murder and police recently announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of her killer - or killers.

DO YOU HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE KIRSTY BENTLEY CASE? 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police via their non-emergency phone number 105 and reference Operation Kirsty. Alternatively, you can call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

READ MORE ON THIS CASE IN THE HERALD:

Kirsty Bentley murder: Police offer $100,000 reward in Ashburton cold case

Kirsty Bentley cold case: Police focus on stranger abduction lead

Kirsty Bentley murder cold case: Killer may have already been spoken to by police

 

 

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15-year-old Canterbury teenager, Kirsty Bentley from Ashburton went missing after taking her dog for a walk on New Year's Eve in 1998 - her body was found just over two weeks later. Stuff journalists Blair Ensor and Martin van Beynen recently completed an investigative piece on the unsolved case.

I… 15-year-old Canterbury teenager, Kirsty Bentley from Ashburton went missing after taking her dog for a walk on New Year's Eve in 1998 - her body was found just over two weeks later. Stuff journalists Blair Ensor and Martin van Beynen recently completed an investigative piece on the unsolved case.

It's one of the most high-profile cold cases in New Zealand's history - the murder of Canterbury teenager, Kirsty Bentley.

The 15-year-old from Ashburton went missing after taking her dog for a walk on New Year's Eve in 1998, and her body was found in bushes near the Rakaia Gorge just over two weeks later.

The case has never been solved.

Eighteen years after her body was discovered, the coroner ruled the death of Kirsty Bentley was not accidental.

Her older brother, John, the last person to see her alive, told police she left the house late in the afternoon to take the family dog for a walk.

Two weeks later, on the day before her 16th birthday, Kirsty's partially buried body was found 60km away near the Rakaia Gorge.

Stuff journalist, Blair Ensor and Martin van Beynen wrote an indepth investigative piece on the case.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details more