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A specific zone identified in a volunteer-led investigation for the remains of a English child who went missing in the land down under fifty-five years ago has turned out to be a false alarm, New South Wales Police confirmed.

A group of searchers who used specialized canines in the quest for the missing child had hoped their discovery would represent a major development in the investigation, which has remained a unsolved puzzle since she disappeared in the year 1970, when she was just three years old.

But bones that were uncovered in the area belong to an non-human creature, law enforcement stated in response to questions, noting that the search had "ended."

Investigators believe Cheryl, who had moved from her UK hometown with her relatives, was taken from Fairy Meadow beach in the city in January 1970.

Latest Investigation Steps

The recent operation took place in Balgownie, on a small pocket of woodland mentioned in a admission made by a young male.

In the year 2019, a trial of the accused, known only by a codename, Mercury, who'd been indicted with Cheryl's abduction and murder, collapsed. The individual, in his 60s then, had rejected any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors later withdrew accusations against him as a court official disallowed the statement he made as a juvenile.

Ongoing Mystery

Police have carried out many searches in the decades since she disappeared, but have uncovered few leads as to what occurred to her.

Local officials have announced a A$1m incentive for tips on the case of Cheryl's disappearance and presumed death.

Relatives' Views

Her sibling Ricki Nash, 62, has openly discussed what he believes are mistakes in the police investigation going back to the day she disappeared.

He was seven years old then. He final sighting of his sibling in the locker area at Fairy Meadow on the date she vanished.

Community Action

A formal request asking the state parliament to establish an inquiry into cases of disappeared individuals handled by NSW Police, such as Cheryl's, gathered more than 10,000 signatures this season.

It was debated in parliament, but in a letter responding to those who signed, state authorities made no commitment to conducting an inquiry.