Almost a decade later, in August 2022, the AFP made a breakthrough in the case while re-examining the images uncovered by Argos in 2014.
Guardian Australia understands detectives sought to identify bedsheets depicted in the background of one of the images and were eventually able to trace them to a childcare centre in suburban Brisbane.
Hotels sometimes have monogramed items, ie: a logo printed or embroidered on sheets, towels, etc.
Or they use a certain patterned sheet style so the cleaning services they use know who the sheets belong to (vs. all motels/hotels using plain white sheets that are redistributed willy nilly).