Police still hope to find Kirsty's killer

Some may have given up hope the killer of Ashburton schoolgirl Kirsty Bentley will be found, but police still believe it will happen.

Yesterday marked seven years since her body was found in the Rakaia Gorge, 40km from her Ashburton home, and one of New Zealand's biggest murder mysteries began.

Kirsty, 15, went missing while walking with her dog Abby on the banks of the Ashburton River on a hot New Year's Eve, 1998. A day later Abby was found tied to a tree and Kirsty's underwear was found nearby.

Kirsty's older brother John later told media he was considered the main suspect, while in 2001, Kirsty's father Sid Bentley was re-interviewed by police after saying he was mistaken about where he was on the day Kirsty disappeared.

Kirsty's mother, Jill Bentley, later told a newspaper police had told her they believed John Bentley had murdered her daughter and Sid Bentley had disposed of her body.

She added that she did not believe the police version of events.

Kirsty's boyfriend at the time of her death, Graeme Offord, yesterday told the Herald he did not think her killer would ever be brought to justice.

"I know things do get solved after a lot longer, but no, I don't hold much faith that it will be, personally."

Mr Offord was due to spend the night at Kirsty's home on the day she went missing. He said it felt to him like much more than seven years had passed.

"It's something that will always be with me. Usually more around this time of the year, definitely."

Murder inquiry head Detective Inspector Greg Williams firmly believed the case would one day be solved.

"I'm still having people contact me, we are still following things up. I think it is totally solvable. I have said in the past that I think we have made huge advances forward in our knowledge of what occurred that day," Mr Williams said. "I'm as committed now as I was on the first day to solve it." A single phone call or piece of information could provide a breakthrough.

"I know of one [case] where a guy found God and 10 years later walked into the police station and admitted to a murder. Who's to say what will occur in the future."

Kirsty's parents have since separated and her mother is in Australia.