The "area of interest" identified in a community-driven investigation for the body of a British girl who went missing in the land down under 55 years ago has proven to be a false alarm, New South Wales Police confirmed.
A volunteer team who used specialized canines in the quest for Cheryl Grimmer had believed their discovery would represent a major development in the investigation, which has stayed a unsolved puzzle since she disappeared in 1970, when she was three.
But bones that were found in the location belong to an animal, law enforcement said in reply to queries, noting that the operation had "ended."
Investigators believe the young girl, who had emigrated from Bristol with her relatives, was abducted from Fairy Meadow beach in the city in January 1970.
Recent Search Efforts
The recent operation happened in Balgownie, on a tiny section of forest referenced in a admission made by a teenage boy.
In 2019, a court case of the accused, known only by a codename, the pseudonym, who'd been indicted with the crimes against Cheryl, collapsed. The man, in his 60s then, had rejected any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors later dropped accusations against him as a judge excluded the confession he made as a minor.
Unsolved Case
Police have carried out many investigations in the years 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 Cheryl's abduction and suspected murder.
Family's Perspective
Cheryl's brother Ricki, sixty-two, has openly discussed what he thinks are mistakes in the police investigation going back to the time she disappeared.
Mr Nash was seven then. He final sighting of his sister in the changing rooms at the beach on the date she disappeared.
Community Action
A petition asking the state parliament to set up an inquiry into missing persons investigations handled by NSW Police, such as this one, gathered more than 10,000 supporters this summer.
It was debated in parliament, but in a response addressing petitioners, officials made no promise to holding an inquiry.
