Unsolved The abduction of Cheryl Grimmer 3yo.

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Cheryl Gene Grimmer, then aged three, was kidnapped outside the change sheds at Fairy Meadow Beach, Wollongong NSW on Monday 12 January 1970, where she was spending the day with her mother and three brothers.

A Coronial Inquest conducted in 2011 found Cheryl had died but her cause and manner of death remained undetermined. Her body has not been located. The Coroner recommended the investigation be referred to police for future investigation.

In 2012, a re-investigation was conducted by Wollongong Police District under Strike Force Wessel. Following a major crime review late last year, the case will be moved to the Homicide Squad’s Unsolved Homicide Unit for potential further re-investigation.

A 65-year-old man, who cannot be named as he was underage at the time, was arrested in March 2017 and charged with Cheryl's murder, whose body has never been found. The charges were subsequently withdrawn as an old police interview he gave when he was 17yo was ruled out as admissable on the basis of unfairness, his state of vulnerability with no adult present and being of below average intelligence.

Part of the interview:

In response to detectives asking him what he knew about Cheryl’s disappearance, the teenager said: “I arrived at Fairy Meadow Beach early on the morning of the 12th January, 1970, I hung around the beach area until I seen (sic) these bunch of children come up from a swim.
“They all went into the changing room and I took that they changed themselves then they came out of the change room. I saw this little girl get a drink from a bubbler outside the change room. Some of the children started to walk away and this little girl hung back. I came around from the back of the shower block and grabbed the little girl …”

Justice Hulme said the teenager made further admissions during a "walk through" interview with police the following month.
"Police then sought evidence to confirm the truthfulness of the accused's confession. In the end they were not satisfied that they had enough in this respect and no charges were laid," he said.


 

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stormbird

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From ABC News, 14 July 2023:

"A New South Wales Greens MP is calling for a fresh inquest into the disappearance and suspected murder of Cheryl Grimmer after her family's request for a new inquiry was rejected by the state's attorney-general."

 
From ABC News, 14 July 2023:

"A New South Wales Greens MP is calling for a fresh inquest into the disappearance and suspected murder of Cheryl Grimmer after her family's request for a new inquiry was rejected by the state's attorney-general."

Yeah, not the states AGs child, grandchild or relative.
 

stormbird

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May 21, 2022
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From ABC News, 21 November 2023:

... "an unnamed man, who was a child at the time after arriving in Australia from Eastern Europe, has told the BBC podcast Fairy Meadow he saw what happened.

"I am certain I saw the guy that took her," he said.

...

The witness said he did not go to police because he was still a child and for many years simply did not think it was relevant.

"You have got to remember we were only in Australia for three, four weeks," he said.

"We didn't speak English at all and I didn't mention it to my mum and dad at all.

"It wasn't on my radar.

"We didn't own a TV and we never read the newspapers at the time so we were sort of oblivious to what was going on."
...

A spokesperson for the Grimmer family has called for a fresh inquest into the [suspected] death."


 
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"Bonus episode: A new lead", Fairy Meadow podcast, 20 Nov 2023

Fairy Meadow - Bonus Episode: A New Lead - BBC Sounds

From about 17:55 minutes: the listener who found the new witness.

From about 19:45: the new witness.

It's made press. I might check in to the podcast today.

Now an unnamed man, who was a child at the time after arriving in Australia from Eastern Europe, has told the BBC podcast Fairy Meadow he saw what happened.

"I am certain I saw the guy that took her," he said.

"I heard yelling and screaming and I looked around and glanced behind me and I see a 15-year-old, 16-year-old adult sort of thing, not a kid, in full stride with this baby in his arm, on his hip, like low on his hip.
"It was like a profile of him but I remember he did have short back and sides, darkish sort of hair, normal build. He had no shoes on either."

The witness said he did not go to police because he was still a child and for many years simply did not think it was relevant.

"You have got to remember we were only in Australia for three, four weeks," he said.

"We didn't speak English at all and I didn't mention it to my mum and dad at all.

"It wasn't on my radar.

"We didn't own a TV and we never read the newspapers at the time so we were sort of oblivious to what was going on."

 

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