🔗 Share this article Creature Bones Discovered in Search for Girl Who Vanished Fifty-Five Years Ago A childhood photo of Cheryl Grimmer and her brother near a pool A specific zone identified in a volunteer-led search for the remains of a English girl who went missing in Australia fifty-five years ago has proven to be a mistaken lead, New South Wales Police confirmed. A volunteer team who used cadaver detection dogs in the quest for the missing child had believed their finding would mark a breakthrough in the investigation, which has remained a unsolved puzzle since she disappeared in 1970, when she was just three years old. But bones that were uncovered in the area belong to an animal, police said in response to questions, noting that the search had "ended." Authorities suspect Cheryl, who had moved from Bristol with her relatives, was abducted from a coastal area in Wollongong in the start of 1970. Recent Search Efforts The recent operation took place in Balgownie, on a small pocket of forest mentioned in a admission made by a young male. In 2019, a court case of the accused, known only by a codename, the pseudonym, who'd been charged with the crimes against Cheryl, ended abruptly. The man, in his 60s then, had denied any involvement. Legal authorities later dropped charges against him as a judge excluded the statement he made as a juvenile. Ongoing Mystery Police have carried out many investigations in the decades since Cheryl disappeared, but have found limited clues as to what occurred to her. Local officials have offered a A$1m incentive 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 believes are errors in the official inquiry going back to the day she went missing. He was seven years old then. He final sighting of his sibling in the locker area at the beach on the date she vanished. Community Action A formal request asking the state parliament to set up an investigation into missing persons investigations handled by NSW Police, such as Cheryl's, collected more than 10,000 supporters this summer. It was discussed in the legislature, but in a letter addressing those who signed, state authorities made no commitment to conducting an inquiry.