Animal Remains Found in Search for Child Who Vanished 55 Years Ago
A specific zone flagged in a community-driven investigation for the body of a English girl who vanished in the land down under fifty-five years ago has proven to be a false alarm, New South Wales Police said.
A group of searchers who used cadaver detection dogs in the quest for the missing child had hoped their discovery would represent a breakthrough in the investigation, which has remained a mystery since she disappeared in the year 1970, when she was three.
But bones that were found in the area are from an non-human creature, police stated in response to questions, noting that the operation had "concluded."
Authorities suspect the young girl, who had emigrated from her UK hometown with her family, was taken from a coastal area in the city in January 1970.
Latest Investigation Steps
Thursday's search took place in a local suburb, on a small pocket of woodland mentioned in a admission made by a young male.
In 2019, a trial of the suspect, known only by a codename, the pseudonym, who'd been charged with the crimes against Cheryl, collapsed. The individual, in his 60s then, had denied any wrongdoing.
Legal authorities later withdrew charges against him as a court official disallowed the confession he made as a minor.
Ongoing Mystery
Police have carried out numerous investigations in the decades since she went missing, but have found limited clues as to what occurred to her.
Local officials have offered a A$1m reward for information on the case of Cheryl's disappearance and presumed death.
Relatives' Views
Cheryl's brother Ricki, sixty-two, has publicly highlighted what he thinks are errors in the official inquiry going back to the day she went missing.
Mr Nash was seven then. He last saw his sibling in the changing rooms at the beach on the date she vanished.
Public Response
A petition asking the state parliament to set up an inquiry into cases of disappeared individuals overseen by the police force, such as Cheryl's, gathered more than ten thousand signatures this summer.
It was debated in the legislature, but in a response addressing those who signed, officials made no promise to conducting an review.
