A purse and diary that may have belonged to missing Perth woman Julie Cutler and were discovered in sand dunes near where her car was found in the surf have been destroyed, police have confirmed.
Mr Cutler was 22 and working at the Parmelia Hilton in the city when she vanished on June 19, 1988.
After finishing her shift, she went to a staff awards function at a nightclub within the hotel complex.
She drove out of the staff car park late that night or early the following morning but didn't arrive home or attend her next shift.
She was then reported missing.
Three days after she was last seen, her car was found in the surf on Cottesloe Beach.
Then in October 1996, some of her personal items, including the purse and diary, were discovered in sand dunes about 1km south of where her vehicle was recovered.
They were handed to police in early 1997 but dismissed as not being Ms Cutler's after police spoke to people who knew her.
But a cold case homicide squad review of the investigation has established the items may have indeed belonged to Ms Cutler.
"Part of policy is when we look at items, if we don't link them to current or previous crimes ... the items are either returned to owners or destroyed," Detective Sergeant Gailene Hamilton told reporters on Tuesday.
She said police were again searching dunes in the Cottesloe area looking for other items that may help the investigation.
The WA government has offered a $250,000 reward for information about the case.
"This has been a long and distressing period for Julie's family and friends and we are hoping to resolve this matter for them," Det Sgt Hamilton said.
"Any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem in isolation, may be crucial in the context of the broader investigation and we urged anyone with information to come forward."
