Million-dollar reward into woman’s cold-case murder
Decades after a woman was killed after an unknown gunman set her car on fire, a $1 million reward is being offered for information.
Harmony Bryant, 26, was found near death in woodland near Bonny Hills, about 25km south of Port Macquarie, NSW, on 16 August 2003.
The woman was hospitalized with a broken hip, broken wrist and left arm, and burns to 60 percent of her body. Her car, a Hyundai Excel, was found burned about 200 meters away from the road.
He remained hospitalized for a month before dying from his injuries on September 19, 2003.
Ms. Bryant’s death has haunted detectives for years since.
Evidence suggests that he fell from a nearby cliff before being brought back to his car by an unknown person or group of people.
A 2011 inquest also found that he died from burns inflicted by an unknown person or persons.
Police found he had booked accommodation for two people in a nearby caravan, but a second person was never identified and no one was charged in connection with his death.
The NSW government and police offered $100,000 for information about Ms Bryant’s murder in 2011.
But on Thursday, that reward was increased to $1 million as police revived appeals for public assistance.
Following his discovery, police initially believed the 26-year-old was the victim of a car accident.
His death would have continued to be treated as suspicious had his family not conducted their own investigation into the incident, according to the coroner’s 2011 report.
The coroner found that the officer in charge had made a faulty assessment, despite many unusual features, and had failed to change his report even after receiving information suggesting something was wrong.
As a result, the coroner, who referred the case to the homicide unit, said 48 hours after the woman was found that “vital” opportunities had been missed.
