Abducted in Australia: The Tragic Tale of the Beaumont Children
In January 1966, three siblings disappeared from a beach in South Australia. The case resulted in one of the largest investigations in the country's history, and remains a haunting mystery
Background
On January 26, 1966, three siblings disappeared from a crowded, popular beach near their home in Somerton Park, South Australia. It was Australia Day, and the Beaumont children had been given permission by their mother to go play on the family-friendly beach.
However, when the children did not return home that afternoon, a massive search was launched. Despite the enormous investigation, Jane, Anna, and Grant Beaumont have never been located.
The Beaumont Family
Grant “Jim” Beaumont, a retired serviceman and taxi driver, and Nancy Beaumont, a homemaker, were married in 1955. They settled in Somerton Park, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide. Shortly after they were married, Jim and Nancy welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Jane.
Two years later, a second daughter, Arnna, was born. Three years after that, the Beaumont family was completed with the birth of their son, Grant. Somerton Park was a safe area, and the children enjoyed playing at nearby Glenelg Beach, only three kilometers from the family’s home.
On January 25, 1966, as the summer holidays were winding down, Jim Beaumont was preparing for a three-day business trip out of town. Before leaving, he dropped off his three children, Jane (9), Anna (7), and Grant (4), at Glenelg Beach to get some relief from the heatwave gripping South Australia at the time.
On the following morning, Australia Day, the children wanted to return to the beach. They asked their mother if they could go, and she said yes, but told them to be back home by noon for lunch. The three Beaumont children boarded the 8:45 a.m. bus that would take them from their neighborhood to the beach.
Disappearance
The children arrived at the beach, which was packed with people and families celebrating the national holiday. Nancy waited at home for them to return for lunch. When the 12 p.m. bus came and went with no sign of the children, Nancy was a bit worried, but not yet panicked.
But when her children were not on the 2 p.m. bus either, Nancy became extremely concerned. Jim, who was due to be out of town for at least another day, arrived home around 3 p.m., his business trip having concluded earlier than expected. Upon arriving home and realizing his children were missing, and his wife was panicked, Jim immediately drove to Glenelg Beach.
Jim searched the crowded beach for any sign of his three children, but he came up empty-handed. He returned to the family home, hoping that the children had simply lost track of time and would be there waiting for him, but they were not.
