JANINE Vaughan is the ninth missing person in the state to have a one million dollar reward offered for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for her death.
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The reward, announced in Sydney last Friday, coincided with a development in the case; news police will be utilising new DNA technology to re-examine weak DNA samples which were taken by police from a car seized over 10- years ago.
There are currently 109 rewards on offer across NSW, ranging from $50,000 to $1,000,000, however, with very few ever paid out, questions have been raised about their effectiveness as a crime fighting tool.
However, on Friday, when Janine's reward was announced, Homicide Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Scott Cook, said the success of rewards was not measured by the number of pay outs, but by their ability to get cold cases "back on the table".
Supt Cook said the timing of Janine's reward was part of an investigative strategy being used by detectives investigating the case.
"We want to to solve this matter, we want justice for Janine, this [the reward] is a tool for us, we want help, we want you [the media] to broadcast it, we want to make it the centre of attention," he said.
Janine Vaughan's case is one of three missing persons cases in Bathurst.
Jessica Small, 15, abducted in the early hours of October, 26, 1997, also has a one million dollar reward on offer for information leading to her killer's conviction.
Andrew Russell, 23, last seen alive in Bathurst on June 2, 2009, has a $750,000 reward in place for information leading to the recovery of his remains.
Supt Cook told the media conference the message to the community was clear; police would not be giving up on getting justice for Janine, or any other missing person.
Anyone with information on Janine, Jessica, or Andrew is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Information can be given to Crime Stoppers anonymously, if preferred.
