Animal Bones Discovered in Hunt for Child Who Vanished Fifty-Five Years Ago
A specific zone flagged in a volunteer-led search for the remains of a English child who vanished in Australia fifty-five years ago has turned out to be a false alarm, local authorities confirmed.
A volunteer team who used cadaver detection dogs in the quest for the missing child had believed their finding would mark a major development in the investigation, which has remained a mystery since she disappeared in 1970, when she was three.
But skeletal fragments that were uncovered in the location belong to an animal, law enforcement said in reply to questions, noting that the operation had "concluded."
Authorities suspect Cheryl, who had emigrated from Bristol with her family, was taken from Fairy Meadow beach in the city in the start of 1970.
Latest Investigation Steps
The recent operation happened in Balgownie, on a small pocket of forest referenced in a confession made by a young male.
In the year 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 individual, in his 60s then, had denied any involvement.
Legal authorities later withdrew accusations against him as a judge excluded the statement he made as a minor.
Ongoing Mystery
Authorities have carried out many investigations in the decades since Cheryl disappeared, but have uncovered few leads as to what happened to her.
NSW authorities have announced a A$1m incentive for tips on the case of Cheryl's disappearance and presumed death.
Relatives' Views
Her sibling Ricki, sixty-two, has publicly highlighted what he thinks are mistakes in the official inquiry going back to the day she went missing.
He was seven years old then. He last saw his sibling in the locker area at Fairy Meadow on the day she disappeared.
Public Response
A formal request asking the state parliament to set up an inquiry into cases of disappeared individuals handled by the police force, such as Cheryl's, collected more than ten thousand supporters this season.
It was debated in parliament, but in a response addressing those who signed, state authorities made no commitment to holding an review.
