The siblings were last seen by an elderly woman at around 11:00 am. She claimed she saw them with a lean, blond man wearing a blue bathing suit. She had noticed that he was observing the siblings as they played by the sprinkler for about 15 minutes before he approached them. It was the last time anyone had seen them. The incident launched one of the largest police investigations in Australia.

After about two years when the siblings went missing, their parents received several letters claiming the author had their children. The anonymous letter sender said he would turn over the siblings to them at a time and place he designated. The Beaumonts couldn’t believe their luck. But when they arrived at the spot, no one else was there.