Unsolved: Penny Hill was beaten unconscious and left for dead. Photo: Supplied
More than 20 years after a young nanny was bashed and left for dead beside a road in north-western NSW, police have identified a new person of interest in her death.
Detectives seized a blue Datsun Stanza in Sydney on Monday and have examined it in connection with the death of Penny Hill, 20, who was beaten unconscious and found slumped against a paddock gate in Coolah on July 8, 1991.
Nearly 22 years after her death, police have received new information about a car seen at the Black Stump Motor Inn in Coolah where Ms Hill was staying on the night she was assaulted.
Detective Sergeant Jason Darcy, from the western region unsolved homicide squad, said the information had come to light in the past month. ''It's new information, we believe it has got some weight. And we've identified a new person of interest,'' he said.
Police had scoured vehicle registration records from the time and had narrowed down their list to ''a handful'' of vehicles, which would be examined in the coming weeks.
He said the car had changed ownership many times since the early 1990s.
''That car had been spray painted since 1991, from a dark blue to a light blue. But we're more interested in the interior of the car because it was in original condition,'' he said.
''Being so long ago, there's not too many Datsun Stanzas left in existence, or registered. It's making it hard to locate [the right vehicle], and we're obviously doing a wide search.''
Ms Hill had moved from her home in Narrabri to Coolah on Friday, July 5, 1991 after she was offered a job as a nanny to the three sons of Col and Barbara Baigent, the new owners of the Black Stump Motor Inn.
Mr Baigent had been the drummer for the rock group Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs in the 1960s, before he and his wife moved to the country.
But after one day, Mrs Baigent decided Ms Hill was too young and not responsible enough to care for her children and planned to let her stay the week before sending her home with a reference.
Police believe Ms Hill was probably bashed in her room at the motel, although there were no obvious signs of struggle, before her body was dumped 800 metres down the road.
She was discovered early the next morning, fully clothed, bleeding from the head and with a cord from an electric jug clenched in her left hand.
A second inquest into Ms Hill's death last year returned an open finding.
The inquest heard that DNA samples were found in a secret compartment last year in the Black Stump Motel. A rifle butt and a used condom were in the compartment, which police can date to the time of the death of Ms Hill.
Sergeant Darcy said the new information about the Datsun was separate to the DNA analysis, which was still taking place.
Anyone with information has been urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.
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