A $500,000 reward is now being offered in the hope of finally cracking the cold case murder of taxi driver Bryan Hodgkinson almost four decades on.

The Queensland Government has increased the reward in the unsolved crime which has haunted the Bundaberg community since September 1987.

Queensland Police Crime and Intelligence Command detectives believe advances in forensic testing and renewed public interest could finally bring justice to the 48-year-old father of three who was a lifelong Bundaberg local and a well-known taxi driver.

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When he failed to return home from his night shift, his wife Elaine reported him missing about 7.30am on September 10, 1987.

Soon after, Bundaberg Taxi Company reported Hodgkinson’s taxi with Queensland registration T26-053 had been located abandoned outside an address at 7 Beatrice St, Bundaberg.

There was no damage to the vehicle but the taxi keys and a coin dispenser were missing, and have never been found, police said.

A sum of money was also missing from Hodgkinson’s wallet.

At 7.55am that same morning, a man’s body was discovered off Goodwood Rd (now Peirson Rd) in a remote area about half an hour drive from Bundaberg. The road leads only to the former Peirson Memorial Home youth facility.

The body was later identified as Bryan Hodgkinson, and police said he had suffered horrific injuries including trauma to the head and throat, along with multiple stab wounds to the abdomen and chest.

Bryan Hodgkinson, with his wife Elaine and their three children, was a devoted family man whose unsolved murder has weighed heavily on the Bundaberg community for decades. Credit: Queensland Police

Bryan Hodgkinson’s taxi was found abandoned on Beatrice St in Bundaberg, soon after he was reported missing. Credit: Google Maps

Police believe Hodgkinson was working his regular shift on the night of September 9 and was due to finish at 1am on September 10.

At 12.31am, he accepted a fare via radio from the taxi base to collect a passenger named “Sykes” from the corner of Targo and Burnett Sts.

That was the last confirmed contact anyone had with him.

Despite exhaustive efforts over the years including more than 170 witness statements, the case has remained unsolved.

An arrest was made in 2009 but the prosecution was later discontinued, and a 2018 coronial inquest failed to identify who was responsible for the murder.

Goodwood Rd in bushland south of Bundaberg, not far from where Bryan Hodgkinson’s body was discovered. Credit: Google Maps

Cold Case Investigation Team Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell said recent forensic breakthroughs have sparked a new phase in the investigation.

“Police would like to speak with the person with the name ‘Sykes’ who called Bundaberg Taxis at 12.31am on September 10, 1987, requesting a taxi pick-up from the corner of Targo and Burnett Sts, Bundaberg,” she said.

“We are seeking any person who may have seen Bryan’s taxi travelling out of and back into Bundaberg CBD in the early hours of September 10, 1987, to contact police.

“The round trip from Bundaberg to Peirson Memorial Rd was approximately 65km and police believe someone involved with Bryan’s murder drove his taxi back into Bundaberg.

“Anyone who was in the Bundaberg area on September 9-10, 1987 who recalls being in a taxi on the night Bryan was murdered but has not previously made themselves known to police is asked to please do so.”

The $500,000 reward is for information leading to the conviction of the person or people responsible, police said.

The government is also offering potential immunity from prosecution to any accomplice who is not the killer and comes forward first with crucial information.

Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersqld.com.au.

Callers can remain anonymous.