Creature Remains Discovered in Hunt for Child Who Disappeared Fifty-Five Years Ago
The "area of interest" flagged in a community-driven investigation for the body of a English girl who went missing in the land down under fifty-five years ago has turned out to be a false alarm, New South Wales Police said.
A group of searchers who used cadaver detection dogs in the quest for Cheryl Grimmer had hoped their finding would represent a major development in the investigation, which has remained a mystery since she vanished in 1970, when she was just three years old.
But skeletal fragments that were uncovered in the location belong to an animal, law enforcement stated in response to queries, adding that the search had "concluded."
Authorities believe Cheryl, who had emigrated from Bristol with her relatives, was taken from Fairy Meadow beach in Wollongong in the start of 1970.
Recent Search Efforts
Thursday's search took place in Balgownie, on a tiny section of woodland referenced in a confession made by a young male.
In the year 2019, a trial of the accused, known only by a codename, the pseudonym, who'd been indicted with Cheryl's abduction and murder, ended abruptly. The man, in his 60s then, had rejected any wrongdoing.
Legal authorities later dropped charges against him as a judge excluded the confession he made as a juvenile.
Ongoing Mystery
Police have conducted numerous investigations in the decades since she went missing, but have uncovered few leads as to what occurred to her.
Local officials have announced a one million Australian dollar incentive for tips on the case of Cheryl's disappearance and presumed death.
Relatives' Views
Cheryl's brother Ricki Nash, sixty-two, has publicly highlighted what he thinks are errors in the official inquiry dating back to the day she disappeared.
He was seven then. He last saw his sister in the changing rooms at Fairy Meadow on the day she vanished.
Public Response
A petition asking the state parliament to establish an inquiry into cases of disappeared individuals overseen by NSW Police, such as Cheryl's, gathered more than 10,000 supporters this summer.
It was debated in the legislature, but in a response responding to those who signed, officials made no promise to conducting an inquiry.
