THE dark dried bloodstain on the hallway carpet was the giveaway.

It was visible for all to see, despite the killer’s desperate attempts to clean up. The carpet had been mopped and the hallway walls had been wiped clean.

But not clean enough. Because despite the killer’s best efforts, traces of blood remained low on the walls.

For the parents of 22-year-old Elisabeth Membrey it was the first sign she had fallen victim to something terrible.

At first Joy and Roger Membrey hoped their daughter had injured herself and gone to hospital. They’d gone to her Ringwood apartment in Melbourne’s east with Elisabeth’s boyfriend because she’d failed to answer her phone.

But when they got there, her doona was missing.

Elisabeth never made it home. Police later theorised her killer wrapped her bloodied body in the doona and carried her out of the apartment.

They found a partly finished letter in her room intended for a friend in the United Kingdom, adding to the theory she was disturbed while writing it on the night of December 6, 1994.

That night she was supposed to be staying at her boyfriend’s but was asked to work late at the nearby Manhattan Hotel instead. She finished her shift about 11.45pm and drove her red Mazda home.

Ms Membrey, a popular arts graduate who had aspirations to be a television reporter, was alone in the apartment because her flatmate was away.

Her father Roger Membrey said of the blood smears: “We were pleased to see that everything was neat and tidy . . . so it all looked very normal, but there was one exception to that, of course.”

Police are in no doubt that Elisabeth is dead. But in the 21 years since she went missing, her body has not been found and no one has been convicted over her death.

The case quickly became one of Victoria’s most enduring mysteries which resulted in the arrest of a patron of the hotel she worked in — however a Supreme Court jury found the person not guilty after a high profile trial in 2012.

The evidence against Shane Bond was circumstantial and he was acquitted after the jury deliberated for seven days.

As with all cold cases police have promised not to give up until the killer is found and there is still a million-dollar reward for anyone with information that leads to a conviction.

While the case may be “cold” in police terms it is very much alive for internet sleuths. The case has proved a popular topic on Reddit with internet sleuths pouring over details of the case.

And one believes he has found the resting place of Ms Membrey.

Writing under the pseudonym of Tom Box, he has identified a specific uninhabited property, in the Woori Yallock Basin, that is less than 60km from Ringwood — the suburb where Ms Membrey lived and worked — with a red soil track that leads directly to a secluded dam.

Mr Box believed Ms Membrey was likely to be on the property. The presence of the red soil was important because it was similar to dirt found on the wheels of Ms Membrey’s car.

Forensic tests after she disappeared established the dust and soil found in the wheel trims and doors came when the car was driven on a dirt road at speeds between 60km/h and 70km/h for at least four kilometres.

As Ms Membrey didn’t drive her car off bitumen police determined it must have been the killer. Additional tests showed the soil was consistent with the Kinglake and Silvan areas – leaving detectives to conclude the body was left less than 100 kilometres from the unit.

However ‘Mr Box’ believed the distinctive dirt found on the wheels could easily have come from the Woori Yallock basin.

Through local knowledge and amateur detective work, Mr Box found a red soil track that led directly to a secluded dam.

“The property at that time had no residence but appeared to have some agricultural activity going on there, so presumably no one around at night,” he told news.com.au

Last year Mr and Mrs Membrey told the ABC the pain of losing their daughter continued despite the time that has passed.

“We’re left up in the air. We’ve got no body, we don’t know why, how, or where. So the anxiety is extreme all the time, the not knowing,” her mother said.

They were both determined to get justice for their “beloved, lovely” daughter one day and vowed never to give up.

“Not ever, until we’re 95 or whatever. Never,” Mrs Membrey said.

Her husband added: “No, you can’t, it’s a hole in your heart you can’t just paper over. It’s our beloved daughter.”

Their pride in her was still evident even after two decades..

“We never lose sight of the fact she really was a lovely daughter.

“She was an absolute joy to have as a daughter. Those 22 years are very precious to us,” the ABC reported.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the death of Elisabeth Membrey had been extensively investigated.

“Unsolved homicides always remain open and the current investigators are best placed to make decisions on what they believe is the right course of action to be taken for an investigation at that time.”

If anyone has information which they believe can assist police in locating Elisabeth’s remains we urge them to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

andrew.koubaridis@news.com.au