"We've got to where we are for a reason. The story is still a good one. So please enjoy this blast from the past. And at the end, we're going to jump back in and tell you the big news that is happening this week." — Ashley Flowers
"There are numerous witnesses who were on or near Glenelg Beach on the day that the kids disappear tell investigators about seeing the Beaumont children playing with an unidentified man." — Ashley Flowers
"The resemblance is uncanny... I think this is the most accurate one I've ever seen. Especially for, to me, you know, this sketch has some prominent features like that forehead and the long face, but it can be kind of vague. But my goodness is it close." — Britt
This episode revisits the 1966 disappearance of the Beaumont children, Jane, Arna, and Grant, from Glenelg Beach in Adelaide, Australia. The initial investigation explored scenarios of drowning, running away, and kidnapping. Drowning and running away were quickly ruled out, leaving kidnapping as the primary focus. Witnesses reported seeing the children playing with an unidentified man near the beach, whose description was later used to create a composite sketch. The children were last seen purchasing lunch with a one-pound note, a significant sum for them, raising suspicions that the unidentified man might have provided it.
Over the years, the case has seen various leads, including a misheard phone call, a Dutch psychic's claims, and a letter allegedly from Jane, all of which were ultimately dismissed as hoaxes or unsubstantiated. A pivotal moment in the investigation occurred decades later when a woman identified her former father-in-law, Harry Vips, as potentially being involved. Vips, a seemingly successful and wealthy businessman, is now considered a prime suspect due to circumstantial evidence, including witness accounts from his son, Hayden, who claimed to have seen the Beaumont children at his father's house on the day they vanished. This evidence, coupled with Vips's hidden life involving a satin fetish and violent tendencies, has led to renewed scrutiny and searches of his former property.
The episode also touches upon the alleged connection between the Beaumont children's disappearance and the Adelaide Oval disappearances of Joanne Radcliffe and Kirstie Gordon, as the sketch of the unidentified man in both cases bears striking similarities. Despite extensive searches, including recent digs utilizing ground-penetrating radar at Vips's former factory, no definitive evidence has been found to directly link him to the Beaumont children's disappearance. However, the investigation remains open, with continued public interest and ongoing efforts to find closure for the families.