How can three children go missing in the middle of the afternoon in a quiet and supposedly safe neighbourhood?
It’s a question that’s been turned over again and again for nearly 60 years and yet still, no trace of siblings Jane, Arnna, and Grant Beaumont has ever been found.
The siblings aged nine, seven and four respectively, went missing from Glenelg Beach in South Australia on Australia Day, 1966.
It’s something former homicide detective Steve van Aperen and investigative journalist Adam Shand are hoping to change with their work on Channel Seven’s new cold case crime investigation show, The Hunters.
By bringing the unimaginable tragedy back into the public eye, Steve – who started out in Victoria Police in the 1980s – hopes one of Australia’s greatest mysteries can be solved.
“This case captivated world attention but let’s be real, the passage of time is not on our side,” Steve, who is an expert in analysing human behaviour, tells New Idea.
“We owe it to the families and to those three children to do something while we still can.”
When the Beaumont children travelled by bus to their local beach on that day, their parents, Jim and Nancy, trusted, like so many at that time, that they would return home safely hours later. But they didn’t.
After the children’s final movements and sightings were mapped, foul play seemed evident.
“I’m an eternal optimist and would like to think there are people out there with more clues and pieces of information,” Steve says.
“TV shows like this one can compel people to come forward and, as everyone in the case gets older, it could be their last chance.”
Various theories have arisen over the years, however none more so than the involvement of local businessman Harry Phipps.
Police first considered him as a person of interest in 2007.
Phipps, who died in 2004, lived within metres of where the children went missing. He also once owned the site of an Adelaide factory.
“I’m only influenced by evidence. I can’t conclusively say Phipps was involved, but I am mystified why there was no coronial enquiry into the case,” Steve says.
“I’m hoping the show will generate a groundswell that pushes the authorities to do something about that.”
While Jim and Nancy have since died, it’s something surviving family members would like, in terms of final closure.
A further piece of circumstantial evidence is that two boys, now men in their seventies, were mysteriously paid by Phipps to dig a grave-sized hole in his factory grounds soon after the Beaumonts’ disappearance.
“There have been two subsequent digs there, but I don’t think they were in the area pinpointed by the kids,” Steve says.
“I’m not saying their remains will be there, but there are a number of coincidences that are pretty damning of Phipps.”
Currently, the site of the factory is clear. All the buildings have been demolished, ready for development.
“This could be the last opportunity to do it [dig] while there are no buildings there,” Steve says.
“We need to do it while we can for those three children and all the heartache this has caused.”
The Hunters: Beaumont Children Mystery premieres Sun. 8.40pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
