Police find girl missing since 2022: ‘She was n… See more

More than five decades have passed since three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer vanished from Fairy Meadow Beach in New South Wales, Australia, on 12 January 1970. What should have been a carefree day at the seaside turned into one of the nation’s most enduring mysteries. Despite multiple reviews, international attention, and even a million-dollar reward, the case remains unsolved.

Recently, Cheryl’s family expressed renewed anger after learning that police did not formally interview three potential eyewitnesses who came forward following a BBC podcast. For the family, it felt like another painful setback in their search for answers.

The Day Cheryl Disappeared
A black and white photograph showing three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer standing on a beach with waves gently lapping in the background. She has short fair hair and is wearing a white bathing costume.

Cheryl Grimmer had emigrated from Bristol, UK, with her parents and three brothers only a year before her disappearance. On that summer day in 1970, the family went to Fairy Meadow Beach, about 50 miles (80 km) south of Sydney.

Cheryl and her seven-year-old brother Ricki were in the changing rooms near the beach. Ricki remembers looking away for just a few moments before realizing his younger sister was gone. Despite immediate searches by family and beachgoers, no trace of Cheryl was found. Authorities quickly suspected an abduction, but no arrests at the time led to a conviction.

A Painstaking Review Yields No Breakthrough
A black and white photo showing Cheryl Grimmer and her three brothers holding a koala.