Fresh hope for family of missing Jess as reward offered

A $100,000 award is being offered by police in a bid to arrest those responsible for the murder of missing Renwick woman Jessica Boyce.

Her face fills the screen, her familiar smile in place as her image pops up in thousands of homes across New Zealand.

It is five years to the day since Jessica disappeared and her case was tonight aired on TVNZ1’s Cold Case show.

Police hope the reward will mean they can finally get justice for Jessica and her family, who are desperate for answers.

Speaking on the show, Detective Senior Sergeant Ciaran Sloan who has headed up Operation Lago, said police know the people who were involved.

But more information is needed to make an official arrest.

“We've investigated hundreds of leads and narrowed it down.

"Operation Lago has been my career's challenge I've worked on some horrendous operations, but this one in particular sticks."

Daughter, sister,cousin, and friend, Jess, as she is known by her family, is much missed, her loss is felt every single day.

Jess’s mother Kay Johnstone had watched the programme ahead of tonight’s screening, watching as she herself appeared on film lamenting the loss of a daughter she loves so much.

Jessica Boyce, 27, was last seen on 19 March, 2019, near Renwick, in her mum’s red ute.

The vehicle was discovered three days later in the Mount Richmond Forest Park near Lake Chalice. Although Jessica’s purse and keys were found, there was no sign of her.

The dumping of the ute was a deliberate decoy to steer the investigation in the wrong direction, police believe.

Her case was officially declared a homicide by police in October 2019.

Police tonight revealed Jessica's glasses were found smashed and hidden under the front seat. Two sets of DNA have been found on them, one belonging to Jess and another to an unidentified male.

Jessica would have turned 32 years old on 5 January. Her family’s biggest wish is for her to be returned to them and for those responsible to face justice.

“I still see her, I still see her driving up here and I am still waiting for her to come home," says Kay.

In February, police carried out at search of a Canvastown address in their continuing search for Jessica.

Some of her family and friends sat on a hillside nearby and watched as a digger went to work, sitting in near silence as they huddled together for comfort.

They are still waiting for the crucial information that will bring Jessica home.

There have been hundreds of leads and tip offs to police since Jessica's disappearance, with many geared to deliberately mislead investigators.

But police are confident it is only a matter of time before they get those responsible.

Detective Senior Sergeant Sloan says there is a group of eight to ten persons of interest.

" ...made up of males, females. Some are Pakeha and some are Māori, one in their late teens and in that group are some mothers.

"Information had been received during the investigation that Jessica was in the water on the east coast, in caves on the east coast. This was a deliberate attempt at misinformation."

Police revealed the key suspects were either in Marlborough or Nelson on the day Jessica disappeared.

Seized laptops, mobile phones and hard drives have proven key to the investigation.

Technical expert Sergeant Ben Smith says advances in technology since 2019 mean more vital information can now be accessed.

"They know who they are," says Detective Senior Sergeant Sloan.

"We've spoken to them ... The time is right to decide if they want to be a witness or do they want to be in the dock."

For Jessica's family, the hope is tonight's Cold Case show will help catch a killer.

For Kaye, it has been impossible to move on from the fateful day she last saw Jessica alive.

Wearing a turquoise crystal that Jessica wore around her neck, she smiles as she recalls her daughter; a young woman who should have had her whole life ahead of her.

The necklace was discovered hanging on the rear-view vision mirror in the abandoned ute.

"She was beautiful. She was such a precious gift. The house would light up when she came through the door.

"There hasn't been a night that I haven't talked to her and said good night. I say goodnight bub.

“I can still smell her perfume."

Police will pay a reward of up to $100,000 for material information or evidence which leads to the identify and conviction of any person or persons responsible for her disappearance.

The offer will remain in force until 19 September 2024.

The Commissioner of Police will determine the amount of the reward and will apportion it if there is more than one claimant.

Immunity against prosecution will be considered for any accomplice, not being a principal offender, who gives such information or evidence to Police.

"We urge anyone that has personal knowledge of the circumstances of Jessica’s disappearance and who are prepared to assist the investigation team to please contact Police," a spokesperson says.

Information can be provided to the Operation Largo Investigation team on 0800 COLD CASE (0800 2653 2273) or email to [email protected]