The Beaumont Children

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2:00have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney and this is Voices for Justice.

2:16Today, I'm discussing the case of the Beaumont children. This case has had the public and investigators reeling for decades over one question. How do three young kids and all of their belongings completely vanish from a beach in broad daylight in front of thousands of people? This is the case of the Beaumont children.

2:44In the 1960s, Australia was regarded as a pretty safe place to raise your kids. Adelaide, a metropolitan city of over half a million residents in 1966, really was the idyllic place to raise kids, especially the suburbs, and specifically Somerton Park, which is where Nancy and Jim Beaumont were raising their three kids. Nancy and Jim got married in 1955, and a year later, in 1956, they welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Jane. Two years later, in 1958, they had another little girl named Arna. And in 1962, they would have their youngest, a boy named Grant. Jim worked as a traveling salesman while Nancy stayed home with the kids and ran the house.

3:31By all accounts, they were happy. Now, fast forward to January 1966. Jane is 9, Arna is 7, and Grant is 4. It's a summer month for Australia, which means the kids are out of school and it's beach season. The Beaumonts spend a lot of time at their local Glenelg beach which is just a few minutes from their house. On January 25th, Jim drops all three kids off at the beach before heading out of town for work. But before leaving the area, he kind of hangs back, sits, and watches the kids. He really wants to see how they act while he and Nancy aren't around. As expected, Jane watches her younger siblings and the three stick together while they play.

4:14It's exactly what Jim was hoping for. So he leaves for his trip while the kids play alone at the beach. Jane, Arna, and Grant follow their instructions and take the 2 p.m. bus home, and Nancy is right there at the bus stop to greet them. Now, while kids riding the bus alone might feel a little jarring, this was a typical summer activity in Australia for many kids. A lot of kids would board the bus in the morning to go to the beach, play with some friends for a few hours, take the afternoon bus home, maybe eat some lunch, and then either go back to the beach or play in the community until dinner or until the streetlights came on.

4:53I know it sounds cliche, but many Australians who grew up in this time will tell you that they slept at night with their doors unlocked, and that kids really could come and go without much worry. But the next morning was January 26th, Australia Day, which is kind of like the 4th of July here in the US. It's a major holiday, and a hot one. So of course, the kids want to go back to the beach. But since Jim is out of town with the car, they have to take the bus both ways. So the kids put on their swimsuits and they pack their towels into a small blue-green bag that was given to Jane to carry. Nancy also gave them bus fare, and even though the plan was only for them to be at the beach for two hours, she still gave them a little extra for lunch.

5:40In total, it was eight shillings and a sixpence. After they were all suited up and their bags were packed, they were ready to go. Nancy watches her children walk from their home and board the bus for the beach. And before she knew it, the two hours were up. It was noon, and it was time to meet them back at the bus stop. But when the bus came, her kids were not on it. Now, Nancy doesn't immediately panic. She assumes that it's most likely that they either decided to walk home or just to stay at the beach for a little bit longer. She figures that they'll catch the same bus they caught yesterday at 2 p.m.

6:18Even though Jane was only nine, she was known to be a very responsible child with a good head on her shoulders. Jim would later tell reporters that he felt like Jane had the mind of a 15-year-old, and he knew that she could take care of her siblings. He also said that Jane knew not to speak with strangers and not to go too deep into the water. These children were familiar with the area, responsible, had taken this exact bus route before, and it was a national holiday in an area that was considered to be extremely safe. I can understand why Nancy wasn't immediately worried. So another two hours pass and Nancy heads back out to the bus stop to meet her kids, sure that they tell her all about the beach with a good reason for having missed the 12 p.m.

7:04bus. But her kids aren't on this bus either. This is when she realizes that something could be seriously wrong. Now, Nancy decides that since there are so many possible routes to the beach, she doesn't wanna risk missing them or having them come home to an empty house and being scared. So she decides that it's best to go home and wait for them to get back or call, at least until Jim gets home. She kind of nervously searches the streets along her way back home. And when she gets home, the kids aren't there either. Jim gets home from work not long after, around 3pm. And at this point, Nancy is in a full-blown panic.

7:47She explains what's going on, and while she stays home, Jim drives to the beach to look for the kids. But there are massive crowds at the beach, and he can't find them anywhere. This is when he realizes that they might really be missing. So he turns around, gets Nancy, and they start looking together. They ask their neighbors, they go to the kids' friends' parents' houses, but no one has seen them and they can't find them anywhere. There are conflicting sources about the time, but sometime between 5pm and 7pm, they report the kids missing. And the constable taking the report assures them that the kids are probably fine.

8:25It's a safe area. and three kids being abducted in broad daylight in front of thousands of beachgoers felt unlikely. So instead of searching the beach immediately, officers instead go to the Beaumont home, thinking that the kids could just be hiding. They do a thorough search of the home, and the kids aren't there. So after ensuring that the Beaumonts weren't just somehow not seeing three hidden children in their home, they finally begin to search. They organize 30 volunteer officers and begin searching the beach and surrounding areas. They also begin contacting local news stations. And I think that this really shows just how uncommon and scary this type of incident was for this area.

9:09They don't just mention the kids on the 9 o 'clock news. They interrupt local programming with this information. They give a very brief description of Jane, Grant, and Arna, pointing out that they all have brown eyes. And of course, they ask the public to please keep an eye out for them, and to call investigators with any information that could aid in their search. Investigators also put surveillance on the airport, as well as local major roadways, but as they quickly lost daylight, the search was called off until the morning. But as the evening wore on and there were no answers about the kids, Nancy got so distraught that a doctor was called in to sedate her.

9:50and this sedation was so heavy that it would take a few days for it to wear off. That night, Jim drove the streets looking for his kids for hours. He was set on not going home and going to sleep without finding them. As Jim searched and searched and searched, there was a countrywide alert sent out for the kids, but Jim does eventually go home that night without his children. The next day, as witnesses began being interviewed by police, investigators quickly realized that there was one common thread between many of these witnesses. They reported that the kids weren't seen alone on the beach that day.

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12:06It's time for WhatsApp. Message privately with everyone. Learn more at whatsapp.com. The search for the Beaumont children was in full swing on January 27, 1966. The Sea Rescue Squadron brought in five boats to search the shoreline, and a slew of officers and volunteers continued searching the nearby area. But as these searches continued, investigators quickly narrowed in on some very concerning witness statements. At least seven witnesses helped them build the following timeline. Just after 10 a.m., the kids got off the bus, ran to the beach, and played for about an hour. About an hour after that, around 11 a.m., they walked to a small grassy area with sprinklers called Collie Reserve.

12:52This is where they were approached by an unknown male. He's been described as white but suntanned, possibly in his 30s, around 6 '1", athletic, with wavy, blonde to light brown hair and a thin face. He was also wearing a dark blue Speedo-style swimsuit with a white stripe. According to the witness statements, he apparently sees the kids, chats with them for a little bit, and then lays down on a towel while he watches them. It really seems like he was trying to posture himself to kind of look like their dad, a family member, or some type of caregiver. Many witnesses said it looked like he knew the kids.

13:34According to news reports, an older couple was sitting on the beach that morning, and they believe that they saw the Beaumont children playing with this man, who at the time they thought was their father. They told investigators that after playing with the kids, he even helped the children get dressed. This is despite especially nine-year-old Jane obviously being able to dress herself. They also said that this man asked them if they saw anyone around the children's belongings, because it appeared that someone had taken their money. And it's important to note that he used the word our, as if the money belonged to all of them.

14:11Again, it seems like he's just positioning himself to look like he should be there with the kids, that he's taking care of them. But of course, investigators believe that this was just a tactic used by the man, not only to quell concerns about a stranger being around three young kids, but to also gain trust with the kids and lure them away. If their money really was gone or if he took it, they obviously wouldn't have money to take the bus home or buy lunch, and he could easily swoop in and quote save the day. This man was last seen putting on a dry change of clothes while the kids waited for him on a nearby bench, but there were two more sightings of the children.

14:54One of these sightings was by the Beaumont's mailman. He said he last saw the kids about 100 meters or about 300 feet from the beach around lunchtime. He said he was just riding his bike down nearby Mosley Street when he saw Grant, Jane, and Arna at an intersection. Not thinking that anything was out of the ordinary, he stopped his bike and said hello. Then he turned and headed up Jetty Road towards the post office. And across the road from that intersection was a popular bakery called Wenzel's Pie Shop And this is where the last verified sighting of the Beaumont children happened The woman working behind the counter said that she was familiar with the kids And she remembers Jane coming in She ordered cakes and requested, quote, a pie for the man, end quote Then she paid with a crisp one-pound note Remember, Jane's mom only gave her eight shillings and a sixpence that morning.

15:51This large amount of money that Jane had just stood out to the woman. So at this point, investigators have many eyewitnesses saying that the kids were last seen with a man who seemed to be very familiar with them, and at least two witnesses who saw them alone outside of the beach area. All signs were pointing to them being abducted by this man, But of course, they were also considering the alternatives. Maybe the kids were hiding for some reason, or were in some type of accident like a drowning or a collapsing dune. But those theories did seem much less likely. I mean, the odds of one child slipping under the water and drowning unnoticed or being in a tragic accident does feel plausible.

16:35But for that to happen to three kids without anyone seeing anything seems extremely unlikely. Either way, no matter the theory, they needed to act fast. The search for the kids was widely televised throughout Australia, and within six days, investigators had followed up on nearly a thousand leads. People in the community and the surrounding areas were flocking to the Adelaide Police Station to give witness reports, tips, and leads. And while we know that a lot of tips can be a blessing, they can also be extremely difficult to manage and sort through. The officers were overwhelmed. Throughout Adelaide and the surrounding areas, stormwater drains and sewers were opened, flushed, and searched to no avail.

17:22Even though it seems like they got off to a rocky start, investigators seem to have left no place unsearched. They even drained the local boat harbor, sending dozens of cadets and volunteers to trudge through the waist-deep mud, searching for any evidence of the Beaumont children. And that's the thing. It wasn't just that the children had vanished. Every trace of them from that day was just gone. No pieces of clothing were recovered. Not the beach towels, not the blue and green bag they took the towels in, not Jane's white purse. They didn't find anything to help lead investigators in any direction.

18:00So wherever the kids were, the items were either with them or had been disposed of. The town and really entire country was buzzing over this case, and three days after the kids were reported missing, on January 29th, the local Sunday Mail ran the story with a headline that read in all caps, quote, sex crime now feared, end quote. And at the same time, dozens of calls came pouring into radio stations and newspaper offices, trying to confirm rumors that the kids had been found. The rumors were so persistent that the police had to make a public statement. They said that they'd reached a stalemate in the search for the Beaumont children.

18:43And of course, as we see happens in some of these cases, everything kind of begins happening all at once. That same day, investigators had divers searching the Padua-Longa Bridge area. This was based off a tip from a woman who said that on January 26th, she saw two girls and a young boy at the water's edge below the southern side of the bridge. She told investigators that she had stopped to ask them if they knew how to get to Mary Street in Glenelg, the same suburb the beach the kids went missing from is located in. But they told her that they didn't live in the area, and basically that they couldn't help her.

19:18Divers searched the water, and there was no trace of the kids anywhere. And from what I could find, this isn't considered an official sighting, but it is one more body of water that can be marked off their list of places to search. Of course, amidst all the headlines and rumors, Jim and Nancy are just beside themselves. On January 31st, Jim went on TV and made a very emotional plea for his kids to be returned. Reporters noted that he was visibly battling his emotions before he could speak. But he did eventually say, quote, Today is a world of prayer throughout Australia for Australia Day. I hope whoever is holding my children will return them.

20:00Jim then began sobbing for several minutes. When he did catch his breath, he said, My wife is still under sedation. But this appears to be Jim's breaking point, because after that, he couldn't speak another word. It's just heartbreaking. the South Australian Police Commissioner, Mr. J.G. McKenna, would then take Jim's place, saying that he was just as baffled by this case as anyone else. Not long after Jim's emotional appeal, an unknown caller would contact the age newspaper offices claiming that they had Jane, Arna, and Grant. The switchboard operator said that he had a foreign accent, and he told the operator, quote, I want reward money for them.

20:49It will have to be a good reward, end quote. The switchboard operator then tried to switch the caller to the chief of staff's extension, but they hung up before it got connected. Investigators at the time said that they weren't going to simply dismiss the call as a hoax. They were taking it as a serious lead that they wanted to follow up on. But in the end, it doesn't seem that anything came of it. This episode is brought to you by Rakuten. If you're shopping while working, eating, or even listening to this podcast, then you know and love the thrill of a deal. But are you getting the deal and cash back?

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22:05One, it's$15 a month. Two, seriously, it's$15 a month. Three, no big contracts. Four, I use it. Five, my mom uses it. Are you playing me off? That's what's happening, right? Okay, give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. A upfront payment of$45 for a three-month plan,$15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com. In-depth searches for the Beaumont children went on for months. If a new tip or lead came in that sent investigators back to an area they already searched, they were happy to search again.

22:39But really, no matter how hard investigators worked to solve this case, Their efforts never restored the comfort and safety taken from the community. Three kids vanishing in front of thousands of people without a trace terrified parents all across the country. They wanted and needed answers to feel safe again. But investigators couldn't deliver. By February, the government decided to offer a reward. They put up 250 pounds. If that amount feels a little low, you aren't alone. This not only upset and frustrated the Beaumont family, but also the public. Jim and Nancy added their own funds along with other local donations throughout the country and brought the reward up to£10 ,000.

23:27But even with this large reward nine months into the investigation, tips began to run dry. and investigators just didn't know where to look next. It's around this time that desperate locals along with media outlets pushed the police to work with a well-known Dutch clairvoyant. His name is Gerard Quave, and he's worked with international investigations to help find missing people. Local businessman and friend to the Beaumont family, Barry Blackwell, told Crime Investigation Australia in 2007 that he'd helped facilitate filming the beach shoreline that the kids vanished from to send to Gerard in hopes that he could analyze it and maybe find out where they went.

24:11Gerard replied and sent back drawings depicting what he believed were the details of the Beaumont children's last walk. He didn't believe that the children had been kidnapped, but instead buried alive. He said that in his visions he saw Arna, Jane, and Grant crawling through a barrier, past a warning sign, through a small hole, and then suddenly what appears to be either sand or water begins falling in on the kids. And the media and locals follow this entire journey. Really at this point, it's all they have. So they take this information and run with it. They begin organizing with locals to go back to the barrier wall with the warning sign and search a massive drain that led to the sea.

25:00But that drain was blocked. This made people think maybe that's what he meant by the kids being buried alive. So they work, they partner with the fire department and borrow a hose, and they get to the root of this blockage. And the kids weren't there. But this clairvoyant isn't giving up. He flies out to Adelaide on November 8th, and when he lands, he's met by a huge media presence. They're literally yelling questions at him as he descends the stairs of the plane, and what they wanted to know was one point of contention, pay. Was he taking advantage of this family? And while it appears that the plane ticket was paid for by family friend Barry, the first thing he wants the public to know and address is that he's not going to charge anyone for his services.

25:52The next day, Jim and Nancy are interviewed by the local media, and they want to know how they feel about this clairvoyant helping. Jim tells the reporter, quote, What can you say in this moment? We've been hanging on for nine months and 14 days now. And well, we just gotta wait and hope and pray. End quote. The reporter then asks Jim if he hopes that Gerard succeeds. and Jim replies that he really appreciates him coming to help find the kids, but he doesn't believe his vision. He and Nancy have to have hope that their kids will be found alive. But Gerard is here and he starts his first day in Adelaide touring the beach where the kids were last seen.

26:33He then meets with investigators at a warehouse in Poringa Park. This is a suburb of Adelaide that the children were known to play at that had recently been renovated. And Gerard insists that the kids are buried under the new concrete floor. And he tells the same thing to the media. So the state requests to dig up this warehouse floor. But that request was denied. The owners say that the ground was thoroughly inspected before the concrete was poured. There really wasn't any good reason to dig it up. From here, Gerard basically says, Well, I've done my job, I figured it out, and I'm going back home.

27:11But just a few months later, on January 21st, 1967, almost a year to the day that the kids went missing, a patron of the recently formed Citizens Action Committee told the Age newspaper that he'd reached an agreement with one of the owners of the warehouse. They will allow the floor to be excavated, but not at the company's expense. If they wanted to destroy the warehouse, they'd have to pay for it. And at this point, I'm sure you'd expect nothing less. The community came together and quickly raised that money. And on January 26th at 11.30am, on the one-year anniversary of the kids going missing, a public meeting was held at the warehouse to announce the date that they would begin digging.