Animal Bones Discovered in Hunt for Girl Who Vanished Fifty-Five Years Ago
A specific zone identified in a volunteer-led investigation for the remains of a British child who went missing in Australia fifty-five years ago has proven to be a false alarm, New South Wales Police said.
A group of searchers who used specialized canines in the quest for the missing child had hoped their finding would represent a major development in the case, which has stayed a mystery since she vanished in 1970, when she was three.
But skeletal fragments that were uncovered in the location are from an animal, police stated in reply to queries, adding that the operation had "concluded."
Investigators suspect the young girl, who had emigrated from her UK hometown with her relatives, was abducted from a coastal area in the city in the start of 1970.
Latest Investigation Steps
The recent operation took place in Balgownie, on a tiny section of forest referenced in a admission made by a young male.
In 2019, a court case of the accused, known only by a codename, Mercury, who'd been indicted with Cheryl's abduction and murder, ended abruptly. The man, in his sixties then, had rejected any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors later withdrew charges against him as a judge excluded the confession he made as a juvenile.
Ongoing Mystery
Police have conducted numerous searches in the years since she went missing, but have uncovered few clues as to what occurred to her.
NSW authorities have offered a A$1m incentive for information on Cheryl's abduction and suspected murder.
Relatives' Views
Cheryl's brother Ricki Nash, 62, has openly discussed what he believes are errors in the official inquiry going back to the day she went missing.
Mr Nash was seven then. He final sighting of his sister in the changing rooms at the beach on the date she disappeared.
Public Response
A formal request asking the local government to set up an inquiry into missing persons investigations handled by NSW Police, such as Cheryl's, collected more than ten thousand signatures this season.
It was discussed in the legislature, but in a letter addressing petitioners, officials made no promise to holding an review.
