Animal Remains Discovered in Search for Girl Who Vanished Fifty-Five Years Ago
The "area of interest" identified in a community-driven search for the body of a English child who vanished in the land down under fifty-five years ago has proven to be a false alarm, local authorities said.
A volunteer team who used cadaver detection dogs in the search for the missing child had believed their discovery would mark a breakthrough in the investigation, which has remained a mystery since she disappeared in 1970, when she was just three years old.
But skeletal fragments that were found in the area are from an non-human creature, police said in reply to queries, adding that the search had "ended."
Authorities suspect the young girl, who had emigrated from Bristol with her relatives, was abducted from a coastal area in the city in the start of 1970.
Recent Search Efforts
Thursday's search happened in a local suburb, on a small pocket of forest mentioned in a confession made by a young male.
In 2019, a trial of the suspect, known only by a codename, Mercury, who'd been indicted with the crimes against Cheryl, ended abruptly. The man, in his 60s then, had rejected any involvement.
Prosecutors later dropped accusations against him as a court official disallowed the confession he made as a juvenile.
Ongoing Mystery
Police have carried out numerous searches in the decades since Cheryl disappeared, 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
Cheryl's brother Ricki, 62, has publicly highlighted what he believes are mistakes in the official inquiry going back to the time she disappeared.
He was seven years old then. He last saw his sibling in the locker area at the beach on the date she disappeared.
Public Response
A formal request asking the state parliament to set up an investigation into cases of disappeared individuals handled by the police force, such as this one, collected more than 10,000 supporters this season.
It was discussed in the legislature, but in a response addressing petitioners, officials made no promise to conducting an inquiry.
