Almost 40 years since his remains were found in a shallow grave, Albert Pisani's family are still living with the pain of his unsolved death.
Victoria Police on Saturday issued a fresh appeal for information relating to the disappearance of Pisani, who was last seen on October 10, 1986.
The father of five is believed to have been visiting a bank near his home in Moe, a town in Victoria's Latrobe Valley, when he failed to return.
His family was not immediately concerned given Pisani's habit of hitchhiking across the country for days at a time.
But after five days with no word, he was declared missing, prompting widespread searches.
Eight months would pass before his remains were found in bushland within the rural locality of Driffield, about 20km from his home.
Police believe Pisani was involved in a dispute at his workplace, a Morwell briquette factory run by the now-defunct State Electricity Commission, before his disappearance.
But decades on, detectives are still unsure who was behind his death and why anyone would wish to harm him.
"Police believe that Albert met with foul play, and the persons responsible for that were responsible for his death," Missing Persons Squad Detective Inspector David Dunstan told reporters on Saturday.
"These types of missing persons investigations are never closed and sadly, Albert's killer remains out there."
Pisani's mother Mary died in 2016, before she was able to learn the truth about her son's disappearance.
For the surviving family, hardly a day has passed without the pain of his unsolved death making itself known.
"Albert was dearly missed and loved by all," his sister Karen Pisani said.
"I still live in fear of the unknown crime."
Pisani was fascinated by trucks, a passion that led him to develop relationships with local and interstate drivers and often set off on trips for days at a time.
He was not known to police before his disappearance and had no criminal history.
In 2015, police announced a AU$1 million reward for information to identify those responsible for Pisani's death.
On Saturday, police confirmed the reward remained on offer for information leading to a conviction.
"Allegiances will change, friendships will change and there are people out there who know what's happened to Albert," Dunstan said.
"We're asking those people to come forward and provide us with the answers to give the family peace and justice for Albert."
Prosecutors will consider indemnifying anyone who helps identify the offenders, police said.
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