Summary
The family of Cheryl Grimmer, who vanished from an Australian beach in 1970, is upset that police did not formally interview new eyewitnesses in a recent review of the case. The police investigation found no new evidence to help solve her disappearance. Three witnesses, who spoke to the BBC after a podcast about the case, provided potentially important information but were not interviewed by police.
Key Facts
- Cheryl Grimmer disappeared from Fairy Meadow beach in New South Wales, Australia, in January 1970.
- Her family had recently moved from the UK to Australia at the time of her disappearance.
- A police review of the case, lasting four years, did not lead to any new evidence or conviction.
- Three potential eyewitnesses who spoke to the BBC were not interviewed by police.
- A podcast about Cheryl's disappearance in 2022 led these witnesses to come forward with new information.
- One of the witnesses observed a teenage boy carrying a child away from the beach on the day Cheryl disappeared.
- In 2016, police charged a man with Cheryl's abduction and murder, but the case was dropped, and he was released in 2019.
- Former police detective Damian Loone criticized the decision not to interview the new witnesses, believing their testimonies credible.
