Police are focusing on 10 names in a bid to solve the Kirsty Bentley cold case

The Ashburton 15-year-old was last seen alive on the afternoon of December 31, 1998, when she left home to walk her dog.

Police posted a 100-thousand dollar reward in July, and out of about 80 pieces of information received, 10 people are being prioritised for further investigation.

The Otago Daily Times reports Detective inspector Greg Murton says they're people who have been mentioned before or people who lived around the area that were not looked at.