Police still receiving tips 50 years after Beaumont children went missing

Australia Day 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the case of the missing Beaumont children, who disappeared from Glenelg beach near Adelaide, South Australia.

The missing Beaumont children is one of Australia’s most infamous criminal cases and sparked one of the biggest investigations in Australian history.

On Australia Day 1966, the three Beaumont children, Jane Natare, Arnna Kathleen and Grant Ellis were last seen walking alone, laughing and playing near the beach. When they did not return home at the expected hour, their parents called the police.

Several months later a local woman reported seeing a man accompanying two girls and a boy into a nearby vacant property on the same night as the disappearances.

There were reported sightings of the children up to a year after their disappearance but there have been no confirmed sightings since Australia day 1966. Of the assumed 17 possessions carried by the children on the fateful day 50 years ago, no items have ever been recovered.

The case still haunts the South Australian police force to this day, with a consistent influx of anonymous tips about the Beaumont children.

Major Crimes Detective Superintendent Des Bray disclosed the current state of the case on Wednesday, revealing that officers on the case receive anonymous tips every four days and are currently investigating a recent tip and suspect.

Superintendent Bray said that crime stoppers receives up to 159 calls every year regarding the Beaumont case, while the Adelaide police also receives a large influx of letters and emails with tips.

However, officers handling the case often encounter many problems with their leads, as many key witnesses are either deceased, or have lost their memory of events through the passage of time.

Every year the chances of finding the perpetrator of the Beaumont’s kidnapping declines, as police estimates the suspect would be between 70-100 years old.

“A lot of witnesses would be very elderly so, I think the 50-year anniversary gives us an opportunity to have another go” says Superintendent Bray.

The Beaumont case is highly regarded as the pinpoint for social changes around how Australians allowed their children to play. The Beaumont parents allowing their children to play unsupervised was not uncommon at the time, but after the Beaumont children disappeared, Australians began viewing their communities more warily.

If you have any information regarding the Beaumont children please contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.