Search Efforts Intensify 55 Years After Cheryl Grimmer's Disappearance

Thu Oct 16 2025 22:18:28 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A volunteer team using cadaver detection dogs has discovered an 'area of interest' in the ongoing investigation into the case of Cheryl Grimmer, a girl who vanished from a beach in Australia in 1970.

The search for Cheryl Grimmer, who disappeared in January 1970 at Fairy Meadow beach, has taken a significant turn as a volunteer team has identified an 'area of interest.' This finding has been reported to New South Wales Police, who will conduct further searches. Grimmer's family has expressed their hopes as they await developments after over five decades of unanswered questions.

A volunteer team utilizing cadaver detection dogs has found an 'area of interest' in the case of Cheryl Grimmer, a British child who disappeared from Fairy Meadow beach in Wollongong, Australia, more than 55 years ago. The discovery has been reported to New South Wales Police, who have now engaged in further searches at the site.

Cheryl was last seen in January 1970, shortly after her family emigrated from Bristol. Authorities suspect she may have been abducted.

A search will be conducted tomorrow with the assistance of specialist officers as part of ongoing inquiries, said the police in an email statement.

The picturesque beach, now bathed in sun, belied the pain of a family still searching for answers. Ricki Nash, Cheryl's brother, recalled the panic and confusion that overwhelmed him as a child upon her disappearance. He expressed frustration that authorities had not revisited certain areas sooner despite a prior confession from a boy, who was also English and later disallowed as evidence.

In a previous trial, a suspect known only by the codename Mercury faced charges related to Cheryl's abduction and murder, but the trial collapsed in 2019.

Now, with cadaver dogs trained to detect human remains, the volunteer team's recent find has rekindled hope, although Ricki is apprehensive about what further searches may uncover.

If it is Cheryl out there – she has been there for 55 years now – she shouldn't have been, he lamented.

The search team, spearheaded by Chris D'Arcy of Search Dogs Sydney, believes its findings could be crucial in making a breakthrough in an investigation that has seen little movement over decades.

Ricki’s daughter, Melanie Grimmer, echoes her family’s mixed feelings, torn between the hope of resolution and the fear of what it might mean for her family. My family has been through so much and it is a continuous fight, she revealed as they wait for news from the search area.

The determination of the Grimmer family to uncover the truth remains unwavering even as they reflect on the decades that have passed since Cheryl's mysterious disappearance.