New Reward Offered to Locate British Backpacker's Remains

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Australian police have offered a new reward of up to A$500,000 for information that could help locate the body of British backpacker Peter Falconio, 24 years after he was killed in the Northern Territory.

Falconio, 28, from Huddersfield, was shot dead in July 2001 as he travelled across the Australian outback with his girlfriend Joanne Lees. The attack happened on a remote road about 300km north of Alice Springs. Meek lees was able to escape the attacker by hiding in some nearby bushland.

In 2005, Bradley Murdoch was found guilty of murdering Falconio and the kidnap and assault of Ms Lees. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison, but has never revealed the whereabouts of Falconio's body.

Police make new appeal as time runs out
Acting Commander Mark Grieve of the Northern Territory Police said the new reward was another step in ongoing efforts to provide some closure for Falconio's family. "We hope to bring some sliver of closure to Peter's family by bringing his remains home," he said at a press conference.

Grieve said it was key that the public remained vigilant and he urged anyone with information to come forward. "You never know that that information you have could be useful. "Sometimes you do not know what you know," he said.

Police claimed to have made several attempts to speak to Murdoch, including recently, and each time he refused to cooperate.

Concerns About the Health And Legal Pressure on A Convicted Killer
Now 67, Murdoch is serving a sentence in a prison in Alice Springs. He had been eligible for possible parole in 2032. But he cannot be released under the Northern Territory's "no body, no parole" law unless he helps police find Falconio's body.

Recent media reports said Murdoch has terminal cancer and had been placed into palliative care, though police have not confirmed his medical condition.

Detectives had made appeals for information on the 15th and 20th anniversary of Falconio's death. With this most recent monetary reward, police are also hoping this may now prompt someone with the missing puzzle piece to solve the decades-old mystery.