A total of $3 million in rewards has been offered for information relating to three unsolved murders believed to have been committed by the same hitman.
Maryanna Lanciana was shot and killed in her Werribee home in 1984, some time between 10pm on July 2 and 1pm on July 2.
Ms Lanciana’s 23-month-old son was asleep in the house when the 23-year-old was killed.
Police offered a $50,000 reward for information about the killing the following year, which on Friday was increased to $1 million.
Homicide Squad Detective Inspector John Potter said police now believed the same offenders responsible for Ms Lanciana’s death were also behind the unsolved murders of Dimitrios Belias and George Germanos.
Rewards of $1 million for information relating to the latter pair’s killing were announced in April, and the Yarra River was searched in March for evidence.
Mr Belias, 38, was killed by a single bullet to the head on September 9, 1999, and was found in a car park below a St Kilda Road office building.
Mr Germanos, 41, was shot in the head and chest, and dumped in an Armadale park on March 22, 2001.
Mr Belias was a property developer who owed significant debts to gangland figures, while Mr Germanos was a part-time security guard who had known connections with the underworld.
“There is now a total of $3 million in rewards on offer to anyone who can provide information about the murders of Ms Lanciana, Mr Belias and Mr Germanos,” Inspector Potter said.
“While I understand some people might be fearful about coming forward, we will protect you and can put measures in place for anyone concerned about their safety.”
There were no signs of forced entry to Ms Lanciana’s house after she was killed, and detectives were told at the time that two friends had visited her at 8pm on the Monday night before she was killed.
Her husband had spent the night at his parents’ house and returned to the house on the Tuesday just before 1pm to find her dead.
