Penny Hill’s murder remains unsolved for 34 years

July 21 has marked 34 years since Penny Hill, of Narrabri and then living in Coolah, was murdered in the Central West.

Penny Hill, then aged 20, was found unconscious with severe head and facial injuries on Cassilis Road, near Coolah, about 8am on Monday, July 8, 1991.

She was taken to John Hunter Hospital, where she died two weeks later, on Sunday, July 21, 1991.

In 1992, a coronial inquest held in Mudgee returned an opening finding on the cause and manner of death.

Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad commenced further investigations into Penny’s murder under Strike Force Samdon, before a second coronial inquest was held in 2012.

The second inquest also delivered an opening finding and was returned to investigators, who pursued a number of new lines of inquiry, however, no one has ever been charged in relation to Penny’s death.

In acknowledgement of the 28-year anniversary, the state government increased the reward for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Penny’s murder to $1 million. That reward still stands.

At the time of the reward’s increase, then Homicide Squad Commander, Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Henney, said after almost three decades of searching for answers, the Hill family deserve closure.

“Penny had only just moved to Coolah – to begin her first job as a nanny at the Black Stump Motel – just three days before her body was found,” Det A/Supt Henney said.

“Detectives have made a number of public appeals to the community for any information that could help investigators solve this horrific murder.

“We are committed to getting justice for Penny and providing answers for her family.”

Penny’s mother Jeanette Hill, now living in Queensland, remains hopeful after 34 years that someone, somewhere will come forward with new information to bring closure and justice.

“I still believe someone knows what happened – someone has confided to someone about the murder,” Mrs Hill said in a previous interview with The Courier. “We always hope someone, somewhere will speak up.

“People say to me ‘do you think they will ever be caught’ and I say ‘well, you always have to have hope. Never give up hope.’

“Because someone out there somewhere knows something – if only they would come forward.

“The pain never goes away – we live it every day,” said Mrs Hill.

“I have said in the past, Penny was given a death sentence but we were given a life sentence. And someone is out there walking scot free.

“You never forget, you just learn to live with it and live in hope someone will reveal some information.

“I find the July 8 anniversary, the impact and the brutality of the attack, is probably harder for us than the July 21 date when Penny passed away,” Mrs Hill said.

“We hope every day that someone will come forward with the piece of information for police that will bring the perpetrator to justice and some closure to our family.

“As I have always said, there has to be people out there who know. In a small town like Coolah there would be people who would know.

“People might say ‘I can’t remember’ but you don’t forget these sort of things. There is simply no way to describe the immense agony of losing a child,” Mrs Hill said. “Every day I am reminded of Penny, of the tragic way in which she was taken from us, and of the life she never got to live.”