Police are offering $1 million for information to solve the suspicious death of a young Melbourne musician, after a fire at his home more than six years ago.
It's believed Connor Tolson, 21, a drummer in Melbourne band Riders Of Sin, died before the blaze in his bungalow at the back of his family's home in Malvern East on September 19, 2015.
He had been out celebrating a friend's 21st birthday in Brighton on September 18 and left the party to walk to the train station with three other guests about 11.30pm.
Mr Tolson was picked up by a rideshare driver near North Brighton train station about 12.13am on September 19 and dropped off near his home.
His sister heard noises that sounded like movement in the backyard about 3.30am, but when she looked out her window she didn't see anything.
Local residents smelt smoke and called triple zero to report a fire between 4.30am and 4.45am, and Mr Tolson's sister awoke just before 5am to find the bungalow on fire.
She awoke her mother and they went outside to find the bungalow well alight.
Mr Tolson's mother kicked open the front door, with the bungalow already filled with smoke and flames.
Fire crews arrived and extinguished the blaze before inspecting the bungalow and finding the musician's body, with the fire initially deemed non-suspicious.
However, a 2017 inquest into the death found it was suspicious and referred it to the Victoria Police Arson and Explosives Squad to investigate.
An autopsy report indicated he had died before the onset of the fire.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Kennedy said those responsible for the death may have spoken to someone about Mr Tolson and hoped the reward could lead to them coming forward.
"People's circumstances can change over the years and someone who may not have wanted to provide information to police previously may now feel ready to do so," he said.
"It doesn't matter how insignificant you think the piece of information is, it could be exactly what our investigators need to make a breakthrough in this case."
