Creature Bones Discovered in Hunt for Child Who Vanished Fifty-Five Years Ago
A specific zone identified in a community-driven search for the remains of a English girl who vanished in Australia fifty-five years ago has proven to be a false alarm, New South Wales Police confirmed.
A group of searchers who used specialized canines in the search for Cheryl Grimmer had hoped their discovery would mark a breakthrough in the investigation, which has remained a unsolved puzzle since she vanished in 1970, when she was just three years old.
But bones that were found in the area belong to an non-human creature, law enforcement stated in reply to questions, adding that the operation had "concluded."
Investigators suspect Cheryl, who had moved from her UK hometown with her family, was taken from a coastal area in Wollongong in the start of 1970.
Recent Search Efforts
Thursday's search happened in a local suburb, on a tiny section of woodland referenced in a admission made by a teenage boy.
In the year 2019, a court case of the suspect, 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 involvement.
Prosecutors later dropped accusations against him as a judge excluded the statement he made as a minor.
Ongoing Mystery
Authorities have carried out many investigations in the years since Cheryl disappeared, but have uncovered limited clues as to what occurred to her.
Local officials have offered a one million Australian dollar reward for tips on Cheryl's abduction and suspected murder.
Family's Perspective
Her sibling Ricki Nash, sixty-two, has publicly highlighted what he believes are errors in the official inquiry dating back to the time she disappeared.
Mr Nash was seven years old then. He final sighting of his sister in the changing rooms at the beach on the day she vanished.
Community Action
A formal request asking the state parliament to establish an inquiry into missing persons investigations handled by NSW Police, such as Cheryl's, gathered more than 10,000 signatures this summer.
It was discussed in parliament, but in a response responding to petitioners, officials made no commitment to conducting an review.
