Lawmaker Outs Suspect in 1970 Case of Missing British Toddler

More than 50 years after 3-year-old Cheryl Grimmer vanished from an Australian beach, a key person of interest in the case has been named in parliament, reigniting calls for justice in the decades-old mystery, per the BBC. The British toddler disappeared in 1970 from Fairy Meadow beach in Wollongong, where her family had recently settled after emigrating from the UK. Despite widespread searches and public appeals, the case went cold for decades. In 2017, a man known by the pseudonym "Mercury" was charged with Cheryl's abduction and murder, based on a confession he made as a 17-year-old in 1971. However, a judge later ruled the confession inadmissible, and the charges were dropped.

Mercury has always maintained his innocence and his real name has remained suppressed because he was 15 at the time of Cheryl's disappearance, per the Guardian. This week, New South Wales parliamentarian Jeremy Buckingham used parliamentary privilege to publicly identify Mercury and read his decades-old confession, arguing that Cheryl's family deserves answers and a new investigation. The confession included details about what people at the beach were wearing, where they were sitting, as well as gruesome details about Cheryl's killing, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Before speaking in Parliament, Buckingham said the confession leads one "to think that person must have at least been at the scene of Cheryl's abduction, if not responsible."

Cheryl's relatives, who were present in parliament as Mercury was named, have been pressing for a fresh inquiry since the case collapsed in 2019. They recently issued an ultimatum to Mercury, saying they would let Buckingham name him unless he met with them to explain details of his confession. Cheryl's brother, Ricki Nash, says police have told him they believe Mercury is the killer but they don't have sufficient evidence to charge him. And they won't get it with the suspect "hidden behind this pseudonym," Nash said, per the Herald. Authorities say they're still investigating, with a $1 million reward on offer. Meanwhile, the NSW parliament has announced a broader inquiry into long-term missing persons cases, including Cheryl's.