Offer of $100K reward in cold-case death
Police have offered a $100,000 reward for new information in the death of an 88-year-old man in a suspicious house fire.
Ronald Russell Allison died at his home in Te Karaka, near Gisborne, on January 25, 2013.
For nearly eight years police have kept the case into the war veteran’s death active.
Now they’re wanting new information, believing the fire was started intentionally to cause his death.
Police say Allison lived alone and had limited mobility. A forensic scene examination established the area of origin was in the kitchen, and the wooden farmhouse was quickly razed to the ground.
There was nothing to indicate it had been an accident or due to an electrical fault.
“Police will pay out a reward of up to $100,000 for material information or evidence which leads to the identity and conviction of any person or people responsible for Mr Allison’s death,” they said in a statement yesterday.
“The offer of a reward will remain in force until April 30, 2021.”
Immunity from prosecution could also be considered for anyone not being the main offender, police said.
Soon after the fire, police appealed for information about a car they were seeking – a blue Nissan March hatchback, GAU331, driven by a middle-aged European woman around the time of
Allison’s death.
The car travelled between Tauranga and Gisborne on January 24 and 25.
Police also revealed the back door to Allison’s house had been unlocked. They say it can only have been opened from the inside as the only key for it was inside.
In new information revealed on TVNZ 1’s Cold Case, Allison had received a phone call on January 24. The 22-minute call left him in an extremely distressed state.
Anyone with information should go to the nearest police station or call 0800 COLD CASE. You can email operationpuha@police.govt. nz or call 105 and quote file number 130125/3212.