Beaumont Children Dig Begins

Image credits: Nine

A new search is underway for the remains of the Beaumont children, who disappeared nearly 60 years ago, with a private team excavating a former metal foundry site in Adelaide. The excavation, which began on Saturday, is being conducted by a private team, with SA Police saying they do not believe the theory is "supported by evidence and available information". The dig will run for a week, with the investigators to notify SA Police if they find any remains relating to the nearly 60-year-old cold case. The search is focused on the former Castalloy factory site in North Plympton, which was once owned by Adelaide businessman Harry Phipps, who died in 2004.

Independent state MP Frank Pangallo, who organised the private dig, said it was likely the last chance to conduct another search before the land was sold. Despite two previous searches at the property, Mr Pangallo said the current work was necessary due to new information that emerged from former Castalloy employees after the 2018 dig. The location of the new dig site was one "the police have not explored previously", Mr Pangallo said. He added that it was "important" to investigate "once and for all" the theory put forward by some researchers about the final resting place of the three young children, including the possibility that they were buried in a shallow grave or a hidden location on the property.

The Beaumont children, nine-year-old Jane, seven-year-old Arnna, and four-year-old Grant, disappeared from Glenelg on Australia Day in 1966, leaving behind a lasting legacy on the nation. Their unsolved disappearance has been described as one of the greatest unsolved crimes in Australian history, with many people still hoping for closure after all these years. The new search will involve the removal of trees and several metres of dirt, with investigators using forensic techniques to search for any remains. SA Police has previously said those involved in the new search had "kept SAPOL (SA Police) apprised of their plans and their rationale for the renewed activity".

The excavation of the new spot will be the third time the Castalloy site has been examined, with previous searches in 2013 and 2018 yielding no results. In 2018, police excavated an area after claims by two brothers that three days after the children disappeared, Phipps paid them to dig a "grave-sized" hole on the factory site. At the request of Nancy Beaumont, police conducted a second dig in 2018, excavating to a depth of about 1.5 metres before abandoning the effort. The current search will revisit two sites previously excavated along with a third never-before-searched location and is expected to take about a week to complete.

Here is a timeline of the key events in the case: * 1966: The Beaumont children disappear from Glenelg on Australia Day * 2013: Police excavate an area of the Castalloy site after claims by two brothers that Phipps paid them to dig a "grave-sized" hole * 2018: Police conduct a second dig at the request of Nancy Beaumont, excavating to a depth of about 1.5 metres before abandoning the effort * 2025: A new search begins at the former Castalloy factory site, with a private team excavating the area in search of the children's remains. The search is expected to last until next Saturday, with investigators to notify SA Police if they find any remains relating to the nearly 60-year-old cold case.