Three decades after the brutal stabbing murder of a 20-year-old Italian tourist, a record reward for information relating to the cold case has been offered.
Victoria Cafasso had been in Tasmania less than a week when her body was discovered on October 11, 1995, at Beaumaris Beach on the state's picturesque east coast.
Police on Friday doubled a reward for intel that leads to a conviction to $1 million - the largest ever offered in Tasmania.
"This was a random and particularly vicious attack committed on a young lady who was at the beginning of her life," Assistant Commissioner Adrian Bodnar told reporters.
"Someone must know something."
Ms Cafasso was seen sunbaking on Beaumaris Beach on the morning of October 11 after walking there from her nearby accommodation.
Her body was found in the early afternoon, with her time of death estimated between 11.50am and 12.33pm.
A light-coloured Subaru station wagon seen around 11am remains of interest, as does its driver - a fit, slim man aged in his 20s who had the appearance of a surfer.
A person matching that description was seen running onto the beach where Ms Cafasso was located.
Several suspects, many still living on Tasmania's east coast, have been interviewed by police, including a man matching the surfer's description.
"At this stage that person remains a suspect. They haven't been ruled out," Detective Sergeant Glenn Evans said.
In 2023, detectives released reconstructed images of the station wagon with the aim of jolting peoples' memory.
The murder weapon has never been found, but a coronial report said forensic evidence pointed to a blunt object and knife being used in the attack.
Police are also appealing for a person who left an anonymous Crime Stoppers message in 2024 about an assault in 1990 to come forward, saying it could be relevant to the case.
"There might be a very minute piece of evidence that might be the missing link," Det Sgt Evans said.
A $500,000 reward was offered in 2021 and a number of interviews conducted in 2022 and 2023 after a specialist task force was set up.
"Families always deserve answers to what happened to their loved ones and we owe it to Victoria's family to find those answers," Mr Bodnar said.
"We are confident that with the passing of time, personal circumstances may have changed that will enable someone to provide the information required to close this case."
