August 25, 1973 Adelaide, Australia. While attending a football match at the Adelaide Oval stadium alongside their respective families, 11-year old Joanne Ratcliffe and four-year old Kirste Gordon leave their seats to go to the toilet together, but never return. After Joanne and Kirste are reported …August 25, 1973 Adelaide, Australia. While attending a football match at the Adelaide Oval stadium alongside their respective families, 11-year old Joanne Ratcliffe and four-year old Kirste Gordon leave their seats to go to the toilet together, but never return. After Joanne and Kirste are reported missing, numerous eyewitnesses report having seen them in the company of a middle-aged man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and since the two girls appeared to be in distress, they were likely the victims of an abduction. Over the years, a number of known pedophiles are looked at as potential suspects in the case, but there is not enough evidence to implicate any of them, so Joanne and Kirste are never found.
On last week’s episode, we presented Part One of our series about the 1966 disappearance of the Beaumont children. This week, we will not only conclude our series about the Beaumont case, but also explore another unsolved Australian mystery known as the “Adelaide Oval Abductions” and look into the possibility that these two missing children’s cases are connected.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Joanne_Ratcliffe_and_Kirste_Gordon
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/on-the-40th-anniversary-of-the-disappearance-of-joanne-ratcliffe-and-kirste-gordon-family-reveal-new-connections-to-murderer-bevan-spencer-von-einem/news-story/c5449152bfe324dd65b4bead5fcc7fc1
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/cold-case-fresh-leads-in-1973-adelaide-oval-abduction-links-key-suspect-to-abandoned-prospect-home-with-an-underground-bunker/news-story/a20c5f0e8db7de5c81c22ff316971a30
https://www.nine.com.au/tv-shows/joanne-ratcliffe-kirste-gordon-abduction-adelaide-oval-mystery-breakthrough-under-investigation-20221031-p5rcy0.html
https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/adelaide-oval-abduction-1973-sister-joanne-ratcliffe-kirste-gordon-20230823-p5yuqz.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-25/joanne-ratcliffe-and-kirste-gordon-disappeared-50-years-ago/102770974
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-29/search-for-clues-linked-to-kirste-gordon-and-joanne-ratcliffe/105112146
https://www.womensweekly.com.au/news/real-life/joanne-ratcliffe/
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/coldcases/top-cops-stern-words-in-private-search-for-joanne-ratcliffe-and-kirste-gordon-50-years-after-disappearance/news-story/c2c53d53603c3039b96c8f2a3d689220
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-10/bones-found-in-yatina-search-not-human/106325728
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_the_Beaumont_children
https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/parents-of-beaumont-childrens-tortured-wait-goes-on/news-story/fb533bc2a34d59bacea04713d1b03732
https://www.theage.com.au/technology/one-man-so-many-faces-of-evil-20070422-ge4pv0.html
https://www.theage.com.au/national/suspected-mass-child-killer-is-buried-with-his-secrets-at-90-20020722-gduf0t.html
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts/allan-max-mcintyre-who-was-linked-to-the-disappearance-of-the-beaumont-children-in-1966-has-died/news-story/aa23bce2ce29b65a9182a81cb5f18ef5
https://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/exscout-master-anthony-allan-munro-jailed-for-repulsively-evil-abuse-of-boys-from-1965-to-1983/news-story/e75963cb928358a9487460a13a3deb12
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/sa/2018/01/22/new-search-beaumont-children
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/beaumont-children-mystery-harry-phipps-angry-son-says-his-father-did-not-kill-the-children/news-story/173bda07a90ba4a450e8f154921bddf6
https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/beaumont-children-grandfather-was-involved-in-disappearance-says-grandson-20180201-p5w63x.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-10/beaumont-children-search-at-former-castalloy-factory-site/104917216
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-01/dig-for-beaumont-childrens-remains-concludes/104997388
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at AdvocacyCon, which is taking placemore
January 26, 1966. Adelaide, Australia. Three children from the Beaumont family – nine-year old Jane, seven-year old Arnna and four-year old Grant – leave their residence in order to travel to the beach in the suburb of Glenelg, but they never return home. A number of eyewitnesses report having seen …January 26, 1966. Adelaide, Australia. Three children from the Beaumont family – nine-year old Jane, seven-year old Arnna and four-year old Grant – leave their residence in order to travel to the beach in the suburb of Glenelg, but they never return home. A number of eyewitnesses report having seen the children in the company of an unidentified man before they went missing and this person is believed to be responsible for their disappearances. Over the years, investigators explore a number of potential suspects and perform excavations at various locations, but no trace of Jane, Arnna or Grant is ever found. This week, “The Trail Went Cold” will be releasing the first part of a special two-part episode about one of the famous mysteries in the history of Australia: the disappearance of the Beaumont children. Special thanks to listener Kristen Rodway for narrating the opening of this episode.
Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_the_Beaumont_children
https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/parents-of-beaumont-childrens-tortured-wait-goes-on/news-story/fb533bc2a34d59bacea04713d1b03732
https://www.theage.com.au/technology/one-man-so-many-faces-of-evil-20070422-ge4pv0.html
https://www.theage.com.au/national/suspected-mass-child-killer-is-buried-with-his-secrets-at-90-20020722-gduf0t.html
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts/allan-max-mcintyre-who-was-linked-to-the-disappearance-of-the-beaumont-children-in-1966-has-died/news-story/aa23bce2ce29b65a9182a81cb5f18ef5
https://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/exscout-master-anthony-allan-munro-jailed-for-repulsively-evil-abuse-of-boys-from-1965-to-1983/news-story/e75963cb928358a9487460a13a3deb12
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/sa/2018/01/22/new-search-beaumont-children
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/beaumont-children-mystery-harry-phipps-angry-son-says-his-father-did-not-kill-the-children/news-story/173bda07a90ba4a450e8f154921bddf6
https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/beaumont-children-grandfather-was-involved-in-disappearance-says-grandson-20180201-p5w63x.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-10/beaumont-children-search-at-former-castalloy-factory-site/104917216
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-01/dig-for-beaumont-childrens-remains-concludes/104997388
“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at AdvocacyCon, which is taking place at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico on September 11-13, 2026. To get a 10 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAILCOLD10”, by visiting https://www.advocacycon.com/.
“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.
The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.
All music is composed by Vince Nitro.more
February 2025. Excavators dig three meters into the former Castalloy factory site in North Plympton, Adelaide. They're searching for three children who vanished sixty years ago, based on testimony from the factory owner's son who claims he saw them ente…The Beaumont Children - Australian True Crime
February 2025. Excavators dig three meters into the former Castalloy factory site in North Plympton, Adelaide. They're searching for three children who vanished sixty years ago, based on testimony from the factory owner's son who claims he saw them enter his father's property and never leave, and two brothers who say they were paid to dig a grave-sized hole here days after the disappearance.
Professor Maciej Henneberg works with archaeological precision. The soil reveals disturbed earth, a pit matching the exact dimensions describes. Evidence that something was buried here. After decades of searching, perhaps the Beaumont children will finally be found.
But the excavation ends with no remains. Only questions.
This is Part Two of our investigation into Australia's most haunting missing persons case. We examine three major suspects including millionaire Harry Phipps, who lived 300 meters from where the children were last seen. We explore why three excavations using cutting-edge technology found grave-like anomalies but no bodies. And we uncover a disturbing pattern: seven years after the Beaumont children vanished, two more girls disappeared from Adelaide Oval under strikingly similar circumstances.
Sixty years of searching. Over one hundred suspects. Three children still waiting to be found. And uncomfortable questions about who was protected and why.
Content warning: This episode discusses the disappearance and presumed murder of young children, and examines systemic failures in their protection.
Sources - The Beaumont Children (Parts One & Two)
• Whiticker, Alan. Searching for the Beaumont Children (2006)
• Whiticker, Alan and Stuart Mullins. The Satin Man (2013)
• Mullins, Stuart and Bill Hayes. Unmasking the Killer of the Missing Beaumont Children (2024 edition)
• The Beaumont Children: What Really Happened (Channel Seven, 2018) Title Music - by Jesse Frank from Pixabaymore
On Australia Day 1966, three children boarded a bus to Glenelg Beach in Adelaide and never came home. Jane (9), Arnna (7), and Grant (4) Beaumont were seen by multiple witnesses playing with an unidentified man at the beach, laughing, comfortable, clear…The Beaumont Children - Australian True Crime
On Australia Day 1966, three children boarded a bus to Glenelg Beach in Adelaide and never came home. Jane (9), Arnna (7), and Grant (4) Beaumont were seen by multiple witnesses playing with an unidentified man at the beach, laughing, comfortable, clearly trusting him. They were seen buying food with a one pound note their mother hadn't given them.
Then they vanished completely.
This is Part One of a special two-part investigation into Australia's most haunting missing persons case. We examine the events of that scorching January day, the witnesses who saw the children with a man they appeared to know, and the devastating realisation that three children had disappeared from a public place in broad daylight in front of dozens of people.
How is that possible? And what happened in those crucial first hours when the investigation began?
Part Two explores the decades-long search, the suspects, and a disturbing pattern that connects this case to another Adelaide tragedy seven years later.
Content warning: This episode discusses the disappearance and presumed murder of three young children.
Sources - The Beaumont Children (Parts One & Two)
• Whiticker, Alan. Searching for the Beaumont Children (2006)
• Whiticker, Alan and Stuart Mullins. The Satin Man (2013)
• Mullins, Stuart and Bill Hayes. Unmasking the Killer of the Missing Beaumont Children (2024 edition)
• The Beaumont Children: What Really Happened (Channel Seven, 2018) Title Music - by Jesse Frank from Pixabaymore
On a scorching summer day in Adelaide, January 26, 1966, the Beaumont children—Jane, Arnna and Grant—left for Glenelg Beach and never came home.
In a crowd of hundreds, they vanished without a trace, no evidence at all. Nearly 60 years on, the mystery still grips Australia, it's the cold case that …On a scorching summer day in Adelaide, January 26, 1966, the Beaumont children—Jane, Arnna and Grant—left for Glenelg Beach and never came home.
In a crowd of hundreds, they vanished without a trace, no evidence at all. Nearly 60 years on, the mystery still grips Australia, it's the cold case that can't go cold.
Joining us are author Stuart Mullins and former detective Bill Hayes, who believe a man known as “The Satin Man” is responsible for their disappearance.
Find out more about Stuart and Bill's book Unmasking the Killer of the Missing Beaumont Children here.
If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.
CREDITS
Guests: Bill Hayes & Stuart Mullins
Host: Claire Murphy
Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman
Audio Producer: Jacob Round
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This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.
As we present this episode of Australian True Crime, a new dig begins in Adelaide.
Investigators are following new information in their search for clues into…This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.
As we present this episode of Australian True Crime, a new dig begins in Adelaide.
Investigators are following new information in their search for clues into the 1966 disappearance of the Beaumont children Jane, Arnna and Grant.
To tell us more about it is regular contributor to Australian True Crime and leading Criminologist Dr. Xanthé Mallett.
Do you have information regarding any of the cases discussed on this podcast? Please report it on the Crime Stoppers website or by calling 1800 333 000.
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Got a True Crime question you want answered on the podcast? Send us a question by recording a voice message here.
For Support:
Lifeline on 13 11 14
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CREDITS:
Host: Meshel Laurie
Guest: Dr. Xanthé Mallett.
Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard
This episode contains extra content from Channel 7.
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Send us a question to have played on the show by recording a voice message here.
Jane, Arnna, and Grant Beaumont disappeared nearly 60 years ago without a trace. On February 22, 2025, a third and final dig at a location of interest might give answers to a family who’s been waiting for over half a century.
The disappearance of The Beaumont Children is burned into the collective conscious of Australia. It’s one of the longest-running cases in the nation’s history and has baffled law enforcement for more than half a century.
Stuart Mullins grew up down the road from the Beaumont children in Adelaide. O…The disappearance of The Beaumont Children is burned into the collective conscious of Australia. It’s one of the longest-running cases in the nation’s history and has baffled law enforcement for more than half a century.
Stuart Mullins grew up down the road from the Beaumont children in Adelaide. Over the years he has researched and co-authored investigative writing into their disappearance. He walks us through the case, and why he believes he knows just who is responsible for the disappearance of Jane, Arnna and Grant on Australia Day in 1966.
For photos, maps and further details on the case you can join our closed Facebook group dedicated to the podcast. Just search for True Crime Conversations on Facebook.
GUEST: Stuart Mullins
HOST: Jessie Stephens
PRODUCER: Elise Cooper
RESEARCH
• The Satin Man: Uncovering the mystery of the Beaumont Children, Alan Whiticker and Stuart Mullins https://bit.ly/2leQGNx
• Mother of missing Beaumont children, Nancy Beaumont, dies aged 92 - ABC News https://ab.co/2lfjDsE
• The Beaumont Children: What Really Happened, Channel 7 https://bit.ly/2lNMVyE
• The Beaumont Children Mystery: Crime Investigation Australia, Channel 7 https://bit.ly/2mIlwyu
• Beaumont children search: Police end today’s dig, having found no human remains, The Adelaide Advertiser https://bit.ly/2lbGUvr GET IN TOUCH:
Our guest host Dr. Xanthé Mallett is back to explore the groundbreaking book Unmasking the Killer of the Missing Beaumont Children, released in 2023.
Authors Stuart Mullins and former detective Bill Hayes discovered startling evidence pointing to a predator who lived near the last known sighting of …Our guest host Dr. Xanthé Mallett is back to explore the groundbreaking book Unmasking the Killer of the Missing Beaumont Children, released in 2023.
Authors Stuart Mullins and former detective Bill Hayes discovered startling evidence pointing to a predator who lived near the last known sighting of the missing Beaumont children.
Jane, 9, Arnna, 7, and Grant Beaumont who was just 4 years old when they all disappeared from South Australia’s Glenelg beach in 1966.
If you have any information regarding this case, or any other crime, you can report it to CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.
Click here to purchase "Unmasking the Killer of the Missing Beaumont Children".
Send us a question by recording a voice message here.
Click here to subscribe to ATC Plus on Apple Podcasts and access all ATC episodes early and ad-free, as well as exclusive bonus episodes.
CREDITS:
Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram
Guest Host: Dr. Xanthé Mallett
Guests: Stuart Mullins & Bill Hayes
Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard
This episode contains extra content from Channel 7's documentary "The Beaumont Children: What Really Happened?"
GET IN TOUCH:
https://www.australiantruecrimethepodcast.com/
Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook
Send us a question to have played on the show by recording a voice message here.
Did imprisoned child killer James Ryan O'Neill take the Beaumont children in 1966?
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Like the show? Get more at https://heraldsun.com.au/andrewrule
Advertising enquiries: newspodcastss…Did imprisoned child killer James Ryan O'Neill take the Beaumont children in 1966?
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Crimestoppers: https://crimestoppers.com.au/
January 26, 1966 was a warm summer day in South Australia. Jim Beaumont returned home from a sales trip he had been on for the last day, expecting to see his wife and children at home. But when he got home, his wife Nancy told him that their kids, 9-year-old Jane, 7-year-old Arnna, and 4-year-old Gr…January 26, 1966 was a warm summer day in South Australia. Jim Beaumont returned home from a sales trip he had been on for the last day, expecting to see his wife and children at home. But when he got home, his wife Nancy told him that their kids, 9-year-old Jane, 7-year-old Arnna, and 4-year-old Grant hadn’t yet come home from the beach. The children have now been missing for 57 years, but one suspect remains at the top of everyone’s minds.
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The suspect list for the Beaumont children is long and winding. Andrew Rule breaks down the likely contenders. Become a Herald Sun subscriber: Go to http://www.heraldsun.com.au/andrewrule
Jane, Arnna, and Grant Beaumont left their home in Adelaide to go swimming at the beach on Australia Day 1966 and were never seen again. Their disappearance changed Australian life forever.
The disappearance of The Beaumont Children is burned into the collective conscious of Australia. It’s one of the longest running cases in the nation’s history and has baffled law enforcement for more than half a century.
Stuart Mullins grew up down the road from the Beaumont children in Adelaide. O…The disappearance of The Beaumont Children is burned into the collective conscious of Australia. It’s one of the longest running cases in the nation’s history and has baffled law enforcement for more than half a century.
Stuart Mullins grew up down the road from the Beaumont children in Adelaide. Over the years he has researched and co authored investigative writing into their disappearance. He walks us through the case, and why he believes he knows just who is responsible for the disappearance of Jane, Arnna and Grant on Australia Day in 1966.
For photos, maps and further detail on the case you can join our closed Facebook group dedicated to the podcast. Just search for True Crime Conversations on Facebook.
GUEST: Stuart Mullins
HOST: Jessie Stephens
PRODUCER: Elise Cooper
RESEARCH
• The Satin Man: Uncovering the mystery of the Beaumont Children, Alan Whiticker and Stuart Mullins https://bit.ly/2leQGNx
• Mother of missing Beaumont children, Nancy Beaumont, dies aged 92 - ABC News https://ab.co/2lfjDsE
• The Beaumont Children: What Really Happened, Channel 7 https://bit.ly/2lNMVyE
• The Beaumont Children Mystery: Crime Investigation Australia, Channel 7 https://bit.ly/2mIlwyu
• Beaumont children search: Police end today’s dig, having found no human remains, The Adelaide Advertiser https://bit.ly/2lbGUvr GET IN TOUCH:
On January 26 1966, siblings Jane, Arna and Grant Beaumont joined the hundreds of Adelaide residents who flocked to Glenelg beach to find respite from the scorching summer heat. It was a trip they’d made on their own many times before, and as usual, their mother Nancy sent them off with just enough …On January 26 1966, siblings Jane, Arna and Grant Beaumont joined the hundreds of Adelaide residents who flocked to Glenelg beach to find respite from the scorching summer heat. It was a trip they’d made on their own many times before, and as usual, their mother Nancy sent them off with just enough money to buy bus fare and lunch from the bakery.
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Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host
Episode researched and written by Elsha McGill
Additional editing by Milly Raso
For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-100-the-beaumont-children
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