259: The Killing of Kirsty Bentley | New Zealand
From Evidence Locker True Crime by Evidence Locker True Crime
May 24, 2026 · 22 min · Episode 259
About this episode
The episode discusses the unsolved murder of Kirsty Bentley, who disappeared in 1998 in New Zealand.
On New Year's Eve 1998, fifteen-year-old Kirsty Bentley vanished while walking her Labrador, Abby, near the Ashburton River in Canterbury, New Zealand. Seventeen days later, her body was found hidden in dense scrub at Camp Gully, Rakaia Gorge, 40 kilometres away. She had been killed by a single blow of blunt force trauma to the head. Despite decades of investigation under Operation Kirsty, hundreds of suspects interviewed, a 2016 coroner's inquest, and a $100,000 reward offered in 2022, no one has ever been charged. New Zealand's most haunting cold case murder remains unsolved. Books: Read collections of The Evidence Locker Files , available in print and digital editions. Follow us on: YouTube , Facebook , Instagram , X , TikTok For more information, visit: Evidence Locker Website Listen ad-free: Visit our page at Patreon 25% of Evidence Locker Patreon proceeds are donated to support the Doe Network , solving international cold cases. To learn more, visit: https://www.doenetwork.org/ Resources Web Wikipedia New Zealand Police: Hot Spot: Op Kirsty Articles Killer Blow: the Kirsty Bentley mystery New evidence in cold case murder The curious case of Kirsty Bentley’s murder DNA could…
People in this episode
Host: Evidence Locker True Crime
Topics covered
- cold case
- true crime
- murder investigation
- New Zealand
- unsolved mystery
Keywords
- Kirsty Bentley
- cold case
- murder
- New Zealand
- true crime
- investigation
- blunt force trauma
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: New Zealand Police, Doe Network
Places: New Zealand, Ashburton River, Canterbury, Camp Gully, Rakaia Gorge
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