Sydney cold case: $1 million reward offered 23 years after father vanished

New South Wales Police have announced a $1 million reward for information to help solve the 23-year-old cold case of Mahmoud Sleiman, a 24-year-old father who vanished in 2003. Police believe he was murdered, but his body has never been found and no one has been charged.

Last seen getting into a white Jeep

Sleiman was last seen at about 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, February 2, 2003, outside his home at Greystanes in Western Sydney, speaking to a man in a white Jeep Grand Cherokee before getting into the vehicle and being driven away. His family reported him missing the same day. That night, when his family called his mobile phone, they heard a man screaming before the call abruptly ended. He was never seen again.

Suspected organised crime link; body never found

Investigators believe Sleiman had been in conflict with people linked to criminal activity before he disappeared, and that the case may involve organised crime. In February 2004, police carried out extensive searches of bushland at Moxham Reserve in Northmead and sections of the Parramatta River, but found no trace of him. A coronial inquest in 2007 found that he had died, most likely on the day he went missing, though it could not determine how he died. The case remains active with the Unsolved Homicide Team under Strike Force Motoren.

Family appeals for the truth

Sleiman's partner Jody Swift and his son Billy made a public appeal for fresh information this week. The $1 million reward is for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person responsible for his disappearance or death. Sources: ABC, 7NEWS.