Police offer $1 million reward to unearth secrets of opal field death

The brother Paul Murray’s siblings remember was caring, selfless and leant a hand to battlers in the tight-knit Lightning Ridge community who needed it. In a little black book he always carried because of an immense distrust of banks, Murray kept tally of the money he loaned to those down on their luck.

Such was his generosity, Murray insisted the loans only be paid back when those indebted to him could afford it; he was comfortable and always willing to help where he could. In the end, his generosity may have been his undoing.

By the time two local graziers stumbled upon Murray’s naked and decomposing body two kilometres from his opal mining camp in April 1995, he had been missing for more than a month having last been seen alive by a local who gave him a lift just outside town. A towel lay nearby, and his bare feet were studded with large thorny burrs.

When officers searched his camp, Murray’s black book was missing. A rifle, which Murray’s family says he purchased to protect himself in the weeks before his death, was left behind with a single round still in the chamber alongside his wallet with cash inside.

It was unlikely, police believed, that Murray would wander kilometres from his home into dense scrub wearing only a towel. To investigators, Murray’s state of undress and the burrs in his feet, suggested he may have been fleeing someone.

For more than 30 years, those peculiarities have niggled at Murray’s siblings and investigating detectives, who now hope a $1 million reward will help unearth a secret buried in NSW’s opal fields for decades.

“My brother suffered a gruesome death, and Paul’s family, for the course of 31 years, have been asking for answers, justice and closure,” Murray’s youngest brother, Simon Murray, said.

Simon Murray said his older brother was an accomplished swimmer, gymnast and boxer with an infectious laugh who was adored by mates often trying to emulate him. Among his most cherished possessions are two pieces of opal mined by his older brother and worn each day by his daughters.

“My brother was amazing,” he said.

“We loved him so much, and for him to die the way that he died profoundly affected not only his family but his friends as well.”

Because of the state of Murray’s remains, a post-mortem examination in 1995 could find no cause of death; further investigation and a coronial inquest in 1996 offered no concrete explanation as to how the 40-year-old died. Homicide and misadventure were both left on the table.

After being reviewed in 2012, Murray’s suspected murder was referred to NSW Police’s unsolved homicide unit, which has been re-investigating his death under Strike Force Huddleston.

In 2022, police offered a $500,000 reward for information about Murray’s death. “Our dear brother was murdered,” Murray’s sister, Rosemary Pearse, said at the time.

Murray, who had suffered a brain injury after being struck by a car, had moved to Lighting Ridge in 1990 to be cared for by an uncle and was involved in the local opal mining industry until his death. A close friend reported Murray missing a week after he was last seen on March 19.

Detectives have interviewed several persons of interest since Murray’s death in 1995, but no charges have been laid. Pearse, a retired private investigator, and her siblings have long explored their own theories about who they believe may have killed their brother.

Murray had taken up friendships with several “less salubrious” individuals in Lighting Ridge who had imposed on the popular claim owner’s generosity, then deputy state coroner John Abernethy said in 1996.

“He was owed large sums of money by these people and [he] mixed with a rather uninviting lot,” he said.

“Significantly though, there is no evidence to point the finger at any single person or group.”

Murray’s loan book has never been recovered, leaving detectives unable to determine who owed him money when he died. Whether Murray was killed by someone who he had loaned money remains a line of inquiry.

Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi, commander of NSW Police’s homicide squad, urged locals, miners and associates of Murray who may have information to come forward.

“The family simply want answers. It’s been 31 years,” Doueihi said.

Murray’s family are praying the increased reward will finally bring them answers.

“It’s been a struggle,” Simon Murray said.

“This is the time.”

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