It has been 59 years for the reason that Beaumont kids vanished, and now, new efforts are underway in hopes of unraveling one in every of Australia’s most perplexing mysteries.
The Beaumont kids — siblings Jane, 9; Arnna, 7; and Grant, 4 — disappeared on Jan. 26, 1966, whereas on a go to to Glenelg Seashore, situated close to Adelaide, Australia. It was a time when parental supervision was not as strict, and kids had been typically allowed to roam freely, trusting that their group was a protected place. The siblings went to the seaside unsupervised — a five-minute bus experience from their residence — and had been anticipated to be again by midday.
Their mom, Nancy, turned involved when the children didn’t return residence as scheduled. When their father, Jim, returned residence at 3pm to search out his kids lacking, he instantly went to the seaside to search out them. Each mother and father made an effort to find them, looking out buddies’ homes and different places the place they might have gone, however with none luck, they alerted authorities at 5:30pm.
An enormous seek for the kids ensued, and witnesses had been questioned all through the years. Nonetheless, many years handed with no indicators of what could have occurred to the Beaumont kids. One of many individuals of curiosity was a person named Harry Phipps, the proprietor of the Castalloy manufacturing unit, who resembled the person witnesses noticed speaking to the kids on the seaside earlier than they vanished. Phipps died in 2004.
After Phipps’ demise, his son — who was 15 years previous on the time of the disappearance — claimed that he noticed his father with the three youngsters at their residence situated close to Glenelg Seashore. Moreover, he confessed to being abused by his father. Afterward, brothers David and Robin Harkin additionally got here ahead, telling authorities that Phipps paid them to dig a gap at his manufacturing unit three days after the Beaumont kids went lacking. It has additionally just lately come to gentle that Phipps had a connection to the kids by marriage — Phipps’ niece married a cousin of Jim’s years after the kids disappeared. This data could clarify why the kids had been snug with the person they had been final seen with, who’s assumed to be Phipps.
The previous web site of Phipps’ manufacturing unit is the place excavations at the moment are going down. It’s believed that Phipps lured the kids, killed them, and buried them on the positioning. Earlier digs had been carried out in 2013 and 2018, however no items of proof tied to the Beaumont kids had been discovered. The third dig started on Feb. 22 and can proceed till March 1, however not like the 2 earlier digs, this time, they’re going deeper. Furthermore, this excavation is essential, as it’s the ultimate alternative to totally examine the positioning earlier than a housing improvement is erected on the positioning.
It’s a thriller that has gripped Australia for practically 60 years – what occurred to the Beaumont kids? This 7NEWS Highlight documentary examines the case as excavators start a last-ditch effort to dig up the previous North Plympton manufacturing unit the place it’s believed they may very well be… pic.twitter.com/i1FdWACWzc
— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) February 26, 2025
Up to now, the excavation hasn’t led to any main breakthroughs. Nancy and Jim Beaumont handed away in 2019 and 2023, respectively, by no means realizing what occurred to their kids. Nonetheless, the folks of Adelaide haven’t given up. After many years of unanswered questions, they’re nonetheless decided to resolve the thriller and eventually lay the Beaumont kids to relaxation.
