Animal Remains Discovered in Search for Child Who Disappeared 55 Years Ago
A specific zone identified in a volunteer-led investigation for the body of a British girl who went missing in Australia fifty-five years ago has proven to be a false alarm, local authorities said.
A volunteer team who used specialized canines in the quest for Cheryl Grimmer had believed their discovery would represent a breakthrough in the investigation, which has stayed a mystery since she disappeared in 1970, when she was just three years old.
But skeletal fragments that were uncovered in the area are from an non-human creature, law enforcement said in reply to queries, adding that the operation had "ended."
Investigators suspect the young girl, who had emigrated from Bristol with her relatives, was taken from Fairy Meadow beach in Wollongong in January 1970.
Recent Search Efforts
The recent operation took place in a local suburb, on a small pocket of woodland mentioned in a admission made by a teenage boy.
In 2019, a court case of the accused, known only by a codename, the pseudonym, who'd been charged with the crimes against Cheryl, collapsed. The individual, in his sixties then, had denied any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors later withdrew accusations against him as a judge excluded the confession he made as a minor.
Ongoing Mystery
Authorities have carried out numerous searches in the decades since Cheryl disappeared, but have uncovered limited clues as to what happened to her.
Local officials have announced a one million Australian dollar reward for tips on Cheryl's abduction and suspected murder.
Relatives' Views
Her sibling Ricki Nash, 62, has openly discussed what he thinks are errors in the police investigation going back to the time she went missing.
He was seven years old then. He last saw his sibling in the locker area at Fairy Meadow on the day she disappeared.
Public Response
A formal request asking the local government to set up an investigation into missing persons investigations overseen by the police force, such as this one, collected more than 10,000 signatures this season.
It was discussed in parliament, but in a letter addressing those who signed, officials made no promise to conducting an review.
