Creature Bones Found in Search for Girl Who Disappeared 55 Years Ago
A specific zone flagged in a volunteer-led search for the body of a English child who vanished in Australia 55 years ago has turned out to be a mistaken lead, local authorities confirmed.
A volunteer team who used cadaver detection dogs in the search for Cheryl Grimmer had believed their discovery would represent a major development in the case, which has stayed a mystery since she vanished in the year 1970, when she was three.
But bones that were uncovered in the location are from an animal, law enforcement said in response to questions, adding that the operation had "concluded."
Investigators believe the young girl, who had moved from her UK hometown with her family, was abducted from a coastal area in the city in January 1970.
Recent Search Efforts
The recent operation took place in Balgownie, on a small pocket of woodland mentioned in a admission made by a teenage boy.
In the year 2019, a trial of the accused, known only by a codename, Mercury, who'd been indicted with the crimes against Cheryl, ended abruptly. The individual, in his sixties then, had denied any involvement.
Prosecutors later dropped charges against him as a judge disallowed the statement he made as a juvenile.
Unsolved Case
Police have carried out numerous investigations in the decades since she disappeared, but have found limited leads as to what happened to her.
Local officials have offered a A$1m incentive for information on the case of Cheryl's disappearance and presumed death.
Relatives' Views
Her sibling Ricki, sixty-two, has publicly highlighted what he believes are mistakes in the official inquiry going back to the time she disappeared.
Mr Nash was seven then. He final sighting of his sister in the locker area at the beach on the day she disappeared.
Public Response
A petition asking the local government to establish an investigation into cases of disappeared individuals handled by the police force, such as Cheryl's, collected more than 10,000 signatures this season.
It was discussed in parliament, but in a response addressing those who signed, officials made no promise to conducting an review.
