The family of a British girl missing for 55 years is issuing an ultimatum to a person of interest
The family of a British girl who disappeared in Australia more than 50 years ago have threatened to name a key person unless he comes forward to answer their questions.
Authorities believe three-year-old Cheryl was abducted from Faly Meadow Beach in Wollongong in January 1970.
The suspect was charged with her kidnapping and murder, but her 2019 trial was dropped after a detailed confession, made when she was still a teenager, was ruled a sighting. He denies any wrongdoing.
Known only as Mercury, the man’s identity is protected as he was a minor at the time, but politicians have given up on the privilege of Parliament as the family pushes for a new investigation.
“[Mercury]She made it to Wednesday night,” Cheryl’s brother Ricki Nash told reporters on Friday.
Jeremy Buckingham, the New South Wales MP from South Wheres who has been supporting the Grimmer family, said he was prepared to exercise Parliament’s right to name the man when the State Parliament began sitting on Thursday.
Mr Nash wants the Mercury to explain to the family how he knew the information contained in his confession – and if it was true or not.
“Enough,” she said, in some ways on the verge of tears. “We want the truth to come out.”
Cheryl was camping at Found Meadow with her family on 12th January 1970. When the family decided to pack up, my big brother, like a good brother, was carried to the bathroom block.
Cheryl ran to the ladies changing room and refused to come out. Too embarrassed to intervene himself, Mr Nash returned to the beach to tell his mother to help. When they returned, 90 seconds later, the toddler was gone.
This family had just moved to Australia from Bristol as a lo-called thirty pounds.
Despite several searches, there were no leads. Then in 2017, a man at her address was charged with carrying and murdering Cheryl after police obtained a confession made by the teenager in 1971.
After that, it was decided that the consent of the victim cannot be presented as evidence in the trial and the charges against him.
On Friday, the family released a lengthy document detailing missteps they say were made by authorities in NSW in the search for Cheryl, and demanding more answers.
“We have made various requests to the NSW administration for a new prosecution or a new inquiry but to no avail.
“We feel that we have already fired a lot of police, we said we are doing a review of the case or looking at a source that doesn’t do anything.”
NSW Police have defended their conduct, and said that homicide detectives are still investigating Cheryl’s disappearance – and that a $1m reward for information remains on offer.
“Police are continuing to explore all lines of inquiry and seek answers to Cheryl’s death,” NSW Police said in a statement.
Ricki Nash is pushing for a new investigation into her sister’s disappearance [ABC News/Kelly Fuller]
The potential eyewitnesses come forward after the BBC released the Fairy Meadow crime podcast in 2022, which has already been downloaded five million times. The contacts were referred to investigators.
But the family have recently been told that a four-year review of the case has found that no new evidence could lead to a conviction – even though new witnesses were being interviewed by police.
The family, along with a volunteer group using cadaver detection dogs, are also searching for a “place of interest” which they hope will be successful this month. But police said a subsequent search of the area turned up only animal bones.
Cheryl’s family disputed the police response and said volunteers returned to the site on Friday, collecting soil samples to be sent to the UK and US for further analysis.
“Cheryl disappeared over 55 years ago. It’s time for answers, it’s time to answer,” the family said.
It comes as the NSW Parliament announces an inquiry into the cases of long-term missing persons in the state – including Cheryl’s. It will look at the investigation how it was investigated and ways to improve.
