Brother of missing child calls for cold case families support body
Paul Grimmer's sister Cheryl disappeared in 1970 at age three. He calls for a dedicated body to support cold case families.
Paul Grimmer's sister Cheryl vanished from Fairy Meadow Beach in Wollongong in 1970. She was abducted outside a shower block as she played with her mother.
A coroner said in 2011 that Cheryl was probably dead. But her body has never been found.
Paul is telling a NSW Parliamentary Inquiry that police failed his family. They did not keep them informed about the investigation.
Paul said the lack of answers and communication broke his parents. It left him feeling inadequate.
Police conducted a new search last year but found only animal bones. A parliamentary inquiry is examining long-term missing and murdered cases.
Public hearings resume on Friday. Paul is calling for a representative body to support families like his.
He is also pressing for reforms in how police talk with loved ones of the missing.
- January 12, 1970
- Date of disappearance
- Three years old
- Cheryl's age
- Fairy Meadow Beach, Wollongong, NSW
- Location
- 2011: likely dead, body never found
- Coroner's ruling
Why it mattersFamilies of the missing and murdered deserve proper support and communication from police. How cases are handled affects whether grieving families ever get closure.
AustraliaNSW's parliamentary inquiry could reshape how police engage with bereaved families of cold case victims across Australia.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
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