Beaumont children search begins with New Castalloy excavation

Updated February 02, 2018 09:29:53

Police and forensic experts have started to excavate a site at Adelaide's New Castalloy factory in the hope of finding the remains of the Beaumont children.

A range of experts, including an anthropologist from SA Forensic Services, are at the North Plympton site.

The site was formerly owned by Adelaide businessman Harry Phipps, who died in 2004 but is still considered a person of interest in the case.

The Beaumont children — Jane, 9, Arnna, 7, and Grant, 4 — disappeared from Glenelg Beach on January 26, 1966.

Police originally excavated a different part of the factory site in 2013, but nothing was found.

A decision to excavate another area was made in January after geophysical testing uncovered an anomaly at the spot.

Two brothers claim they dug a hole for Mr Phipps in the days following the children's disappearance.

Detective Chief Inspector Greg Hutchins said while police were hopeful remains would be found, it was important to manage expectations.

"There are explanations for this anomaly, but clearly we need to excavate the site, to identify what that anomaly is," he said.

"We have our fingers crossed. We hope for the best, but we do want to temper expectations."

Inspector Hutchins said police had thoroughly planned for today's excavation and he hoped the search would be completed today.

"There has been a lot of planning over the last few days, with anthropologists, forensic pathologists, crime scene people, we've engaged an excavator, had briefings, [and] today is the time to move forward, excavate the site and see what's underground," he said.

"We hope we will have it completed by today, but it has the potential to go on for a few days."

Flinders University archaeologist Ian Moffat helped discover the anomaly in the soil and believed it warranted further investigation.

"It's clear that something has happened on the site and it looks like some digging has taken place and then that soil has been put back in the hole," Dr Moffat said.

"There's absolutely no way to tell if that excavation was associated with any crime."

Last week, former SA Police detective Bill Hayes told ABC Radio Adelaide the identification of a new excavation site was "without a shadow of a doubt" the most significant evidence to ever emerge in relation to the cold case.

"It is the best lead that there ever has been in the case of these children — the best information that we've ever had," he said.

"You do get information through from time to time, but unfortunately like most of these things, some of the information you can discount immediately.

"Just now and again though, one piece starts to make things gel a little bit."

Mr Hayes said the Beaumont children's parents, now in their 90s, deserved answers.

"It's never been over for the Beaumont [family] — it's never been over for the state or for the country," he said.

"The taking of these children was and is an abhorrent act.

"They [the family] deserve us to continue probing and looking to give an answer."

This morning, police would not comment on how the parents were feeling in the lead up to the search, but remain in close contact with them.

First posted February 02, 2018 07:19:47