Nancy Beaumont, mother of missing children Jane, Arnna and Grant, dies aged 92 at Glengowrie
The mother of the missing Beaumont children has died as the five-decade search for Jane, Arnna and Grant remains one of Australia’s most baffling mysteries.
SA News
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The mother of the missing Beaumont children has died as the five-decade search for Jane, Arnna and Grant remains one of Australia’s most baffling mysteries.
Nancy Helen Beaumont, 92, died at Eldercare Allambi in Glengowrie on Monday without the closure and answers she had long sought.
Their father, Jim, also aged in his 90s, still lives in Adelaide. The couple had separated in the 1970s.
Mrs Beaumont’s death comes as Major Crime detectives stay committed to solving the 53-year-old cold case, which remains one of Australia’s most baffling mysteries.
Last year, a second dig for the children’s remains at the New Castalloy factory in North Plympton ended in more questions than answers.
Speculative reports and theories on what happened to the trio — who disappeared from Glenelg on Australia Day in 1966 — has devastated the family in recent years.
Jane, 9, Arnna, 7, and Grant, 4, were last seen in the company of a blond man in dark blue swimming trunks on January 26.
The children were said to be comfortable around the man, jumping over him as he lay on the grass while Jane playfully hit him with a towel.
An elderly couple told police they were approached by the man who asked whether they had seen anyone touching their discarded clothes because they were missing some money.
One of the final sightings of the children was at Wenzel’s cake shop, where the children purchased pasties, a meat pie and drinks using a £1 note.
The children had left the house with eight shillings and sixpence in coins as bus fare and to buy pasties for themselves and their mother on the way home.
The final confirmed sighting came at 12.15pm as the children waited on a seat at the nearby Colley Reserve changerooms.
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A local postman who knew them well said he had seen the children on their own, holding hands and laughing, but could not be sure of the time of the time of the sighting.
They were never seen again.
In February last year, detectives unearthed bones at the New Castalloy factory, but not the remains they were looking for. A specialist forensic anthropologist quickly confirmed that the bones weren’t human and likely came from a large animal like a horse or cow.
The site was co-founded and built by Harry Phipps, the principal person of interest in the disappearance of the Beaumont children.
Phipps, a successful businessman, died a wealthy man with no criminal charges against his name in 2004.
Only after he died did accusations about his life behind closed doors as a sex offender and family tyrant came to light.
In 2013, detectives dug up part of the Castalloy facility but only realised later they were excavating the wrong spot.
After the last search, officer in charge of Major Crime, detective Superintendent Des Bray, said it was a disappointing result.
“We will continue to work to find the Beaumont children,” Supt Bray said.
Yesterday, SA Police said Mrs Beaumont’s death brought “sadness” to officers. Superintendent Des Bray said previously: “We will continue to work to find the Beaumont children.”