Creature Remains Discovered in Hunt for Girl Who Vanished 55 Years Ago
The "area of interest" flagged in a community-driven investigation for the remains of a British child who vanished in Australia fifty-five years ago has turned out to be a false alarm, local authorities confirmed.
A group of searchers who used specialized canines in the search for Cheryl Grimmer had believed their finding would mark a major development in the investigation, which has stayed a unsolved puzzle since she vanished in the year 1970, when she was just three years old.
But skeletal fragments that were found in the area are from an animal, law enforcement stated in response to questions, noting that the operation had "concluded."
Investigators believe Cheryl, who had moved from her UK hometown with her family, was abducted from Fairy Meadow beach in the city in January 1970.
Recent Search Efforts
The recent operation took place in a local suburb, on a small pocket of forest referenced in a confession made by a young male.
In 2019, a court case of the accused, known only by a codename, Mercury, who'd been charged with the crimes against Cheryl, ended abruptly. The individual, in his sixties then, had rejected any involvement.
Prosecutors later withdrew charges against him as a judge excluded the statement he made as a minor.
Ongoing Mystery
Police have conducted many searches in the years since Cheryl went missing, but have found limited leads as to what occurred to her.
Local officials have announced a A$1m incentive for information on the case of Cheryl's disappearance and presumed death.
Relatives' Views
Her sibling Ricki Nash, sixty-two, has openly discussed what he thinks are errors in the police investigation going back to the time she went missing.
He was seven then. He final sighting of his sibling in the changing rooms at the beach on the day she vanished.
Public Response
A petition asking the state parliament to establish an investigation into cases of disappeared individuals handled by the police force, such as this one, collected more than 10,000 signatures this season.
It was debated in the legislature, but in a letter addressing those who signed, officials made no commitment to conducting an review.
