Gone for 50 years: the Beaumont Children

Gone for 50 years: the Beaumont Children Jane Nartare (9), Arnna Kathleen (7), and Grant Ellis (4) disappeared from Glenelg Beach, near Adelaide, South Australia, on January 26, 1966. This is one of Australia’s best known cold cases.

On January 26, 1966, around 10am, the three children took the bus from their home to the beach. As usual, Jane was in charge of her siblings. They were expected back by noon.

Around 3pm, the mail carrier saw the children walking alone and away from the beach in the general direction of their home. Police believe the mail carrier’s detailed description. He was familiar with the family as well. The mail carrier said that the children looked happy and that they greeted him. He was the last person to see them alive.

Jane’s behaviour is key if we wish to find out what happened to the three children. Jane was always in charge of getting her siblings where they needed to go. Despite just being nine years she was very mature, serious, and careful. Jane must have been familiar with whoever was involved in this crime. I am convinced of that. She had seen this person either at her home (e.g. a friend of the family) or maybe at school, at play dates, etc. She trusted whoever it was they met that day.

Jane acted normal in the shop they frequented but she made an unusual purchase: she bought pastries and a meat pie using a £1 note. Mrs. Nancy Beaumont told police that she had not given Jane notes but coins. The store owner was familiar with the family and the three children. He noted that a meat pie was not among their usual purchases. However, he did not say anything about any unusual behaviour in Jane. If somehow we still have that note I’d love to scan it with the M-Vac.

So what could have happened? One possibility is that someone assured Jane that they knew her parents well and that they would call to let their mother know that they would be home late. They somehow assured Jane that everything would be alright. The only person(s) who could have done that is someone Jane had met before AND in different settings (outside the home, away from her parents, to build trust) hence a friend of the family. The second possibility is that Jane was not her careful self. I do not believe that Jane could be easily tempted despite her young age. My reasons for that are her general behaviour as described in the posts on this blog (links below).

The three children and a man were seen walking away from the beach around 1215pm. What happened between 1215pm, the pastry purchases, and the time the mail carrier saw the children, is unknown.

The only updates in this case are as tragic as the disappearance of the Beaumont Children themselves :

1: A man claimed that he might be Grant Ellis Beaumont. He contacted local US authorities and eventually the police in Australia. My concerns are here.

2: A man claimed that his father was a child abuser and cross-gender dresser with a love for satin. He claimed that on the day that the Beaumont Children disappeared he saw three children in his backyard. The book “The Satin Man” by Alan Whiticker explores this possibility.  My concerns are here.

In November 2013, a factory in North Plympton was excavated after the authorities received a tip that the children were buried there. Nothing was found.

Police keep searching and they act on all tips. They still do. There is a reward for the tip that ultimately will shed light on this case. So far, it remains unsolved.

All the posts I wrote about this case can be found here.

On this day, please keep parents Nancy and Jim in your thoughts.

Thank you for remembering the Beaumont Children with us. They may be gone for 50 years now but they have not been forgotten.

Note: author Michael Madigan has written a book about this case. You can find it here. I have not read it. If you have, let me know your thoughts.