In a case that has remained unsolved for over five decades, the person suspected of being involved in the disappearance of a 3-year-old girl, Cheryl Grimmer, from a beach near Sydney, Australia, back in 1970, has been named.
Cheryl Grimmer went missing from Fairy Meadow beach in Wollongong.
Back in 2017, a man, referred to as Mercury (not his real name), was arrested and faced trial after a confession he made in 1971 surfaced. However, the case was dismissed because a judge ruled the confession couldn’t be used as evidence.
Recently, an Australian politician, Jeremy Buckingham, revealed the man’s name, during a parliament session.
For legal reasons, the man’s name is not being publicly released.
Mercury claims he is innocent. A year after Cheryl’s disappearance, when he was 17, he confessed to the crime. However, because he was a minor at the time, he is still protected by the law.
Cheryl was last seen on January 12, 1970, heading into a changing room after a day at the beach with her family.
Reports say that Cheryl didn’t want to leave the dressing room, and when her brother went to get their mother, and they returned, she had vanished.
In 2016, the police reopened the investigation and identified Mercury after finding his confession. He was charged with murder, but the case was dropped in 2019.
Police have stated that despite many searches, Cheryl has never been found.
A formal investigation in 2011 concluded that Cheryl had passed away, but the cause of her death was never determined. Her body has not been found.
According to a parliament document, MP Buckingham expressed that Cheryl Grimmer’s family has suffered greatly for a very long time.
Buckingham stated that Mercury is living freely, and no one has been held responsible for Cheryl Grimmer’s disappearance.
The suspect, now 69, moved to Australia from the UK as a child and has been living in Melbourne. Cheryl’s family had also recently moved to Australia from the UK.
During the parliament session, Buckingham read Mercury’s 1971 confession, and it was reported that he broke down in tears multiple times.
According to the parliament document, the confession included details of how he grabbed Cheryl, took her to the sand hills, and then to Bulli Pass, where he strangled her because she wouldn’t stop screaming. He then left her body covered with bushes and leaves.
The suspect allegedly told police that he didn’t know Cheryl, but had seen her on the beach. He also said he intended to assault her, but didn’t because she was screaming. He admitted to burning her swimsuit.
Cheryl’s family, who were present during the parliament session, have been pushing for a new investigation for years. They had given Mercury an ultimatum to explain how he knew the details in his confession or be publicly identified.
The family stated that while the details of Mercury’s confession have caused them immense pain, they are seeking the truth.
The government is offering a reward of $1 million AUD for any information that could help solve Cheryl’s case.
