Two men from the Mossman area have been questioned at a coronial inquest into the 1998 disappearance of Joanne Butterfield.
Concetto Tati, 67, and Michael O'Donoghue, 66, denied any knowledge of how the 37-year-old mother disappeared.
The inquest is due to hear from several more witnesses in the coming days, including an associate of Ms Butterfield's, two taxi drivers and police forensic scientists.
Ms Butterfield, then 37, was last seen hitchhiking along the Captain Cook Highway, south of Port Douglas, late on June 26, 1998.
Concetto Anthony Tati, 67, and Michael Francis O'Donoghue, 66, were called to give evidence at a coronial inquest into her disappearance in Cairns on Wednesday.
The inquest heard detectives had twice spoken to Mr Tati about Ms Butterfield's disappearance.
Neither he nor Mr O'Donoghue have been accused of any wrongdoing.
Mr Tati told the inquest he met Ms Butterfield "a long time ago" at the Mossman Hotel and went to her home, where they slept together.
Mr Tati estimated Ms Butterfield's disappearance "might've been a couple of months after that".
Mr O'Donoghue said Mr Tati was "not a mate but I knew him well" and the inquest heard the pair had before gone pig hunting together.
The coroner said she took the views of Ms Butterfield's adult children, Skye Lemon and Thorne Nyker, into account in determining not to excuse the men from giving evidence.
Earlier on Wednesday, the inquest heard from retired detective Trevor Perham, who became "invested" in the investigation after taking charge of it in 2002.