Animal bones discovered in renewed search for missing British girl Cheryl Grimmer identified as false lead

Hopes for a breakthrough in one of Australia’s oldest missing person cases have been dashed after bones found during a new search for British toddler Cheryl Grimmer were confirmed to be from an animal.

New South Wales Police said the discovery, made by volunteers using cadaver dogs near Wollongong, was not connected to the 1970 disappearance of three-year-old Cheryl, who vanished from Fairy Meadow Beach more than five decades ago.

The volunteer team had identified what they called an “area of interest” and believed their find could finally unlock the decades-old mystery that has haunted both Australia and the UK. However, police later confirmed to the BBC that forensic testing ruled out any human connection, bringing the search to an end.

Cheryl, who had moved from Bristol to Australia with her family, disappeared on 12 January 1970 while waiting near the changing rooms at a beachside shower block. Despite extensive investigations, multiple suspects, and renewed searches over the years, no trace of her has ever been found.

The case has remained one of the most heartbreaking unsolved abductions in Australian history, with Cheryl’s surviving family members continuing to appeal for answers and closure after 55 years.