The decades-old mystery of Cheryl Grimmer’s disappearance from Fairy Meadow beach in Wollongong, Australia, has once again gripped the public as her family issues a dramatic ultimatum to a key person of interest. More than 55 years after three-year-old Cheryl vanished on January 12, 1970, her family is demanding answers—and threatening to publicly reveal the identity of the man known only as Mercury if he does not come forward this week.
Cheryl’s story is one that has haunted both her family and the broader Australian public for generations. The Grimmer family, originally from Bristol, England, had recently migrated to Australia as so-called 'Ten Pound Poms'—a term for British citizens who moved to Australia under an assisted passage scheme. On that fateful summer day, Cheryl was at the beach with her mother and siblings. As the family prepared to leave, Ricki Nash, Cheryl’s eldest brother, was tasked with taking the children to the bathroom block. Cheryl, full of playful energy, darted into the ladies’ changing rooms and refused to come out. Ricki, too embarrassed to enter the women’s area himself, returned to the beach to fetch their mother. When they returned just ninety seconds later, Cheryl was gone. Despite frantic searches and public appeals, the little girl was never seen again.
For decades, the case remained cold, with few leads and even fewer answers. Then, in 2017, there was a breakthrough—or so it seemed. Police charged a man in his sixties, known in the public record as Mercury, with Cheryl’s abduction and murder. The charge came after detectives unearthed a confession Mercury had made as a teenager in 1971. However, the confession was ultimately deemed inadmissible in court, and the 2019 trial collapsed. Mercury, whose identity is still protected because he was a minor at the time of the alleged crime, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Now, the Grimmer family is taking matters into their own hands. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Cheryl’s brother Ricki Nash delivered an emotional ultimatum: Mercury has until Wednesday night, October 22, 2025, to come forward and answer the family’s questions. "Enough is enough. We want the truth to come out," Nash said, his voice breaking with emotion. The family wants Mercury to explain how he knew specific details included in his confession—and whether those details were true.
The family’s campaign is being supported by Jeremy Buckingham, a New South Wales parliamentarian. Buckingham has stated he is prepared to use parliamentary privilege to name Mercury when the state parliament resumes on Thursday, October 23, 2025, if Mercury does not voluntarily step forward. This would be a highly unusual move, leveraging the legal protections afforded to parliamentarians to circumvent court-ordered anonymity.
In a letter released to the public, the Grimmer family laid out their frustrations with the investigation. "We’ve made various requests to NSW authorities for a fresh prosecution or a fresh inquest but to no avail," the family wrote. "We feel that we have been fobbed off numerous times by the police, saying that they’re conducting reviews of the case or exploring leads that make no sense to us. The incompetence and negligence in the NSW police investigation of this case over much of the past 55 years is unfathomable."
The New South Wales Police have defended their handling of the case, insisting that homicide detectives are still actively investigating Cheryl’s disappearance. In a statement, the police said, "Police continue to examine every line of inquiry and search for answers into Cheryl’s death." They also reiterated that a A$1 million reward for information remains on offer.
The case received renewed attention in 2022, when the BBC released the Fairy Meadow true crime podcast. The series, which has been downloaded five million times, prompted three potential eyewitnesses to come forward. Their information was passed to investigators, but the family was recently informed that a four-year-long review of the case found no new evidence that could lead to a conviction—even though these new eyewitnesses were not formally interviewed by police. The family’s frustration over this point is palpable, as they believe critical leads have been left unexplored.
Determined not to let the investigation stall, the Grimmer family has taken a hands-on approach. Earlier this month, they and a team of volunteers, including handlers of cadaver detection dogs, searched an “area of interest” they believed could yield new clues. However, police stated that a subsequent search of the same area only turned up animal bones. Unconvinced, the family and volunteers returned to the area on October 17, 2025, to collect soil samples, which they plan to send to laboratories in the UK and the US for further analysis.
"Cheryl disappeared more than 55 years ago. It’s time for answers, it’s time for accountability," the family declared. Their determination has not gone unnoticed. In response to mounting public pressure, the New South Wales parliament has announced an inquiry into long-term missing persons cases in the state, including Cheryl’s. The inquiry will examine how such investigations have been conducted and consider ways to improve processes for families still searching for loved ones.
The struggle between the Grimmer family and the authorities highlights the broader challenges faced by families of missing persons. The passage of time, shifting priorities, and procedural hurdles can make it seem as though justice is always just out of reach. Yet, the Grimmers’ persistence—and the willingness of a politician to potentially break decades of silence—suggests that the search for truth is far from over.
For now, the focus remains on Mercury. Will he come forward before the deadline? Or will his name be revealed in the halls of parliament, bringing a new level of scrutiny to a case that has already spanned more than half a century? As the clock ticks down, one thing is clear: the Grimmer family’s quest for answers continues, undeterred by time or official obstacles. Their hope is that, at long last, someone will finally help them bring Cheryl home—or at least, bring them the truth they have waited so long to hear.