A stranger abduction, not a drifter, but someone who knew the area very well and was probably involved with cannabis.
That's the working theory of the top officer in charge of the Kirsty Bentley murder investigation, a cold case from 1998.
And now police are offering a one hundred thousand dollar reward for information leading to the conviction of the teen's killer.
Fifteen year old Kirsty was last seen walking her dog on New year's eve. The dog was found the next day along with her underwear near the Ashburton river.
But her body was discovered by chance two weeks later more than 50km away in the Rakaia Gorge.
Detective Inspector Greg Murton is hoping the reward will make a difference this time around.
