New evidence linked to the death of long-time AC/DC manager Crispin Dye in Sydney nearly 30 years ago - including a bloodstain on his jeans - has been uncovered during an inquiry.
The 41-year-old died from head injuries in hospital on Christmas Day in 1993, days after being assaulted, robbed, and left unconscious in a Surry Hills street.
Witnesses have previously said three men of Pacific Islander appearance were seen standing over his body in the early hours of December 23 that year.
Mr Dye's case was on Tuesday due to be revisited at a special commission of inquiry, which is examining unsolved deaths suspected of being the result of LGBT hate attacks in NSW between 1970 and 2010.
But that will now be delayed after the inquiry heard several items of Mr Dye's clothing, including his jeans and denim shirt, were provided by police to the inquiry.
Those items had never been sent for forensic analysis until the inquiry arranged for testing to be done earlier this year.
Counsel Assisting Peter Gray SC said two pieces of paper were found in the shirt pocket, including a yellow note with a name and number on it.
The second paper contained a brown mark which the laboratory suspected was a bloodstain or "potentially even a fingerprint".
"Obviously, the failure by the police, up to now, to find these pieces of paper is very unfortunate, to say the least," Mr Gray said.
In February, the inquiry was told an area on the back pocket of the jeans had blood on it, which contained a "mixture of DNA from two individuals" - Mr Dye and an unknown male.
Mr Gray said the testing of the exhibit was "difficult and protracted" due to degradation over time.
Trace DNA was also found elsewhere on the jeans from "at least two individuals".
Until yesterday, the inquiry believed the DNA of the unknown male did not match any profile on the database.
However, it has now been informed the DNA matches a profile obtained from another crime scene.
Police have produced a further 260 pages of documents related to Mr Dye's case, which Mr Gray described as being "of considerable potential significance".
"The possible significance of such a DNA match is immediately apparent," he said.
"Whether that possible significance translates in the future to actual significance is not known as of today."
A lawyer for the Commissioner of Police told the inquiry the force was "not in a position to respond substantively".
Justice John Sackar, who is heading the inquiry, said he wanted it conveyed "to the highest levels within the police force" how concerned he was about the situation.
He said one inference that was open was that the force was somewhat "in disarray" in relation to its record keeping.
"It's bordering on shambolic, the way the police apparently kept some of their records," he said.
Mr Dye's case has been the subject of a number of investigations, an inquest in 1995, and a $100,000 reward for information offered in 2014.
Police have previously said they were "absolutely committed to getting to the bottom of this case".