Police have dismissed a DNA link between the brutal murder of Irma Palasics and a break-in at a putt-putt golf outlet, which they had thought could lead them to the Canberra grandmother's killer.
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Mrs Palasics died after two men broke into the McKellar home she shared with her husband Gregor and bound and violently bashed the pair on November 6, 1999.
Her killers have been on the run since.
Fresh evidence prompted ACT Policing to launch a high-profile campaign in November to call for clues in a bid to crack the cold case and bring the men to justice.
Police said at the time that a cutting-edge forensic search method uncovered a DNA link between the home invasion and a previous break-in at the couple's home.
It also linked the crime to a seemingly harmless prank at the Phillip Pitch and Putt more than a decade later, police said.
Fresh DNA evidence indicated to police that one of five men, who were seen in CCTV footage to break in to the facility, was closely related to one of Mrs Palasics' killers.
They released CCTV footage of a break-in at the putt-putt outlet, as well as facefit images of a suspect and a witness, to encourage members of the public to report any clues.
Police received 30 pieces of information related to the case from within the ACT and interstate in the wake of the campaign.
Detective Senior Constable Jarryd Dunbar, who is officer in charge of the investigation, on Monday said investigations into a familial DNA link had now ruled out any connection between the two incidents.
"Familial DNA is obviously a new form of technology when it comes to DNA, particularly in the ACT it's the first time we've used it," he said.
"We really don't know exactly how strong those connections we are until we obtain a sample of DNA to be able to compare it to samples we already have."
He said information from the public had allowed police to close several lines of enquiry and had also helped identify several people of interest in parts of NSW and South Australia.
Police would continue to investigate those developments.
Detective Senior Constable Dunbar said detectives and the family were "disappointed" the campaign hadn't brought the closure they hoped for.
The past eight months had been difficult for Mrs Palasics' family members as it had opened a lot of old wounds, he said.
But he believed it was only a matter of time before developments in DNA evidence lead police to the killer.
"It's not the end of the investigation, it still continues from here and we will continue our enquiries until we identify those responsible.
"I still believe there are people out there who know who was involved and they haven't contacted us yet and I would really encourage those people to pick up the phone and still continue calling us and providing us with information so we can get some closure for the family."
Police ask anyone with information on Mrs Palasics' death to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at act.crimestoppers.com.au.
