The family of a Hunter woman who was murdered almost 27 years ago says people have come forward with new information about the final days of the young mother's life.
Melissa Hunt's brother Peter Hallett told the Newcastle Herald that police - and the family directly - had received new tip-offs in the three-decade search for the 22-year-old's killer since NSW Police announced a $1 million reward in December for information that led to the mystery being solved.
But Mr Hallett would not go into detail about the new information on Tuesday, saying the tips the family received had not yet been corroborated.
"It's our understanding there was quite a lot of information come in and police have been working through those details," he said.
"We, as a family, were contacted directly by some people with information. Obviously, we don't know how valuable that is and we've passed that information on.
"We think these are really positive developments. It's always been our view that there were people, particularly in the Newcastle area, who knew Melissa, who were still living in the area ... and were part of that network at the time who know more than they've said to date."
It comes as Strike Force Circulo detectives returned to the Hunter this week as part of their investigation into the cold case.
Ms Hunt's beaten body was discovered in Burrenjim Dam - near Stockrington - on Anzac Day, 1994.
She had suffered massive head injuries, including 11 skull fractures, before sandstone pieces were put into her clothes and she was thrown into the water.
Police believe Ms Hunt could have been dead for up to six days before she was found floating near the weir wall.
A NSW Police spokesperson confirmed that detectives from the State Crime Command's Unsolved Homicide Unit had returned to the Hunter this week "to continue their pursuit for answers for the family of Melissa Hunt".
"While our focus this week is Newcastle, we continue to work with interstate authorities in jurisdictions where we believe associates and witnesses may now reside," she said.
"We appeal to anyone with information related to Melissa's death to contact Crime Stoppers [1800 333 000] and assist us in ensuring that every avenue of investigation is identified and pursued."
