Creature Remains Discovered in Search for Child Who Disappeared Fifty-Five Years Ago
A specific zone flagged in a volunteer-led search for the remains of a English girl who went missing in Australia fifty-five years ago has proven to be a false alarm, local authorities confirmed.
A group of searchers who used specialized canines in the quest for Cheryl Grimmer had hoped their finding would represent a major development in the case, which has remained a unsolved puzzle since she vanished in 1970, when she was just three years old.
But bones that were uncovered in the area are from an non-human creature, law enforcement stated in response to questions, noting that the search had "concluded."
Authorities believe Cheryl, who had moved from her UK hometown with her family, was taken from a coastal area in the city in the start of 1970.
Recent Search Efforts
The recent operation happened in a local suburb, on a tiny section of forest mentioned in a admission made by a teenage boy.
In 2019, a trial of the suspect, known only by a codename, the pseudonym, who'd been charged with the crimes against Cheryl, collapsed. The man, in his sixties then, had rejected any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors later dropped accusations against him as a judge excluded the confession he made as a juvenile.
Ongoing Mystery
Police have carried out numerous investigations in the years since she disappeared, but have uncovered limited clues as to what occurred to her.
NSW authorities have offered a one million Australian dollar incentive for information on the case of Cheryl's disappearance and presumed death.
Family's Perspective
Her sibling Ricki, 62, has openly discussed what he thinks are errors in the police investigation dating back to the day she went missing.
He was seven then. He last saw his sister in the locker area at the beach on the date she disappeared.
Public Response
A petition asking the state parliament to set up an inquiry into missing persons investigations overseen by the police force, such as this one, gathered more than ten thousand supporters this summer.
It was discussed in the legislature, but in a letter addressing those who signed, officials made no commitment to holding an inquiry.
