$500,000 reward offered for information on missing teenager

A $500,000 reward is being offered to help solve the alleged murder of Aboriginal teenager Linden Malayta four years ago in north Queensland.

The 18-year-old was last seen in the town of Ayr and may have traveled to Townsville in March 2019.

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The teenager has not had direct contact with family or friends in Ayr since and police, after extensive inquiries, believe there is no evidence of Malayta’s life.

Townsville Child Protection Investigation Unit Officer Dave Miles announced Tuesday the reward for information helping to solve his disappearance and alleged murder.

Miles said Malayta has strong ties to his community and family and has disappeared with no known traces of spending, telecommunications or social media.

“Our suspicion is that he encountered foul play and that he passed away, which is why we went to the Minister and asked for assistance to further our investigation,” Miles told reporters.

Police have exhausted their investigative lines, rescinding reported Townsville sightings of the teen in the four years he was missing.

Alleged use of social media accounts has also hit a dead end, with police confirming these accounts were used by a number of different people.

Miles said Malayta’s family have been thoroughly supportive of the police investigation, with their last contact with him on the day he allegedly traveled from Ayr to Townsville.

No persons of interest are currently being identified by the police in their ongoing investigations.

“We don’t have a specific person to focus on at this point, hence the issuance of the reward where we look for information to come to us so we can move this forward.”

Malayta is an Aboriginal man with brown eyes and dark brown hair and was last seen wearing a red baseball cap, which he wore frequently.