Search for Beaumont children reignites 59 years after their disappearance in light of recent developments

It has been 59 years since the Beaumont children vanished, and now, new efforts are underway in hopes of unraveling one of Australia’s most perplexing mysteries.

The Beaumont children — siblings Jane, 9; Arnna, 7; and Grant, 4 — disappeared on Jan. 26, 1966, while on a visit to Glenelg Beach, located near Adelaide, Australia. It was a time when parental supervision was not as strict, and children were often allowed to roam freely, trusting that their community was a safe place. The siblings went to the beach unsupervised — a five-minute bus ride from their home — and were expected to be back by noon.

Their mother, Nancy, became concerned when the kids didn’t return home as scheduled. When their father, Jim, returned home at 3pm to find his children missing, he immediately went to the beach to find them. Both parents made an effort to locate them, searching friends’ houses and other locations where they could have gone, but without any luck, they alerted authorities at 5:30pm.

A massive search for the children ensued, and witnesses were questioned throughout the years. Still, decades passed with no signs of what may have happened to the Beaumont children. One of the persons of interest was a man named Harry Phipps, the owner of the Castalloy factory, who resembled the man witnesses saw talking to the children at the beach before they vanished. Phipps died in 2004.

After Phipps’ death, his son — who was 15 years old at the time of the disappearance — claimed that he saw his father with the three kids at their home located near Glenelg Beach. Furthermore, he confessed to being abused by his father. Afterward, brothers David and Robin Harkin also came forward, telling authorities that Phipps paid them to dig a hole at his factory three days after the Beaumont children went missing. It has also recently come to light that Phipps had a connection to the children through marriage — Phipps’ niece married a cousin of Jim’s years after the children disappeared. This information may explain why the children were comfortable with the man they were last seen with, who is assumed to be Phipps.

The former site of Phipps’ factory is where excavations are now taking place. It is believed that Phipps lured the children, killed them, and buried them on the site. Previous digs were carried out in 2013 and 2018, but no pieces of evidence tied to the Beaumont children were found. The third dig began on Feb. 22 and will continue until March 1, but unlike the two previous digs, this time, they are going deeper. Moreover, this excavation is crucial, as it is the final opportunity to thoroughly investigate the site before a housing development is erected on the site. 

So far, the excavation hasn’t led to any major breakthroughs. Nancy and Jim Beaumont passed away in 2019 and 2023, respectively, never knowing what happened to their children. However, the people of Adelaide haven’t given up. After decades of unanswered questions, they are still determined to solve the mystery and finally lay the Beaumont children to rest.