My best pal was murdered on walk & killer left behind her chained-up dog – someone out there knows who did it 26 yrs on
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Kirsty Bentley was your typical 15-year-old girl. Spending time with her friends and new boyfriend were high on her agenda. On December 31, 1998, she and school pal Lee-Anne went into their local town, Ashburton, and were due to go to the races the following day.
Lee-Anne, now 42, described how she and Kirsty became fast friends when they first met back in 1996. Kirsty was the kind of personality that she could be friends with almost anyone - she was warm, friendly, approachable and fiercely loyal to those she loved.
[On the day she vanished] we spent the morning in town, we went to the library, shopping and had lunch. We went and saw a friend at her work for a while and then my sister picked us up and dropped her home. As well as her friends and family, a huge place in Kirsty's heart was held by her treasured black labrador-cross Abby, who she was often seen walking.
But as she clipped on Abby's lead and went along their usual route on that blistering New Year's Eve, nobody knew she would be walking to her death. After being dropped back at her red-bricked home, her brother John told her she'd missed a call from her boyfriend before retreating to his room to watch TV.
Kirsty returned her boyfriend Graeme's call at 2.38pm and spoke to his brother before heading out to walk Abby, pictured with Kirsty below, at around 3pm. But when Graeme phoned back at 4.20pm, John noticed Kirsty had been gone for a while. When their mum Jill arrived home shortly after 5pm, she rushed out along Kirsty's usual dog walking path to try and find her.
