the beach. They caught the bus at 8:45 am and were expected to return home on the 12:00 noon bus. Nancy became worried, however, when the children did not return on either the 12:00 or 2:00 pm buses, and when Jim returned home early from his trip around 3:00 pm, he immediately drove to the crowded beach. Unable to locate the children, he returned and together they searched the streets and visited friends' houses. Around 5:30 pm, they went to the Glenelg Police Station to report the disappearance. Police investigation Police quickly organised a search of Glenelg Beach and adjacent areas, based on the assumption that the children were nearby and had simply lost track of time. The search then expanded to the sand-hills, ocean, and nearby buildings, with the airport, rail lines, and interstate roads being monitored as well, based on a fear of accident or kidnap. Within 24 hours, the entire nation was aware of the case. Within three days, on 29 January, the Adelaide Sunday Mail led with a headline of "Sex crime now feared", highlighting the rapidly evolving fear that they had been abducted and murdered by a sex offender. Despite this, the initial official reward was only A£250. The Patawalonga Boat Haven was drained on 29 January after a woman told police that she had spoken with three children, who were similar in description to the Beaumont children, near the haven at 7:00 pm on 26 January. Police cadets and members of the emergency operations group searched the area, but nothing was found. Prime suspect Police investigating the case found several witnesses who had seen the children in Colley Reserve, near Glenelg Beach, in the company of a tall man with fair to light brown hair and a thin face, and in his mid-thirties. He had a sun-tanned complexion and a thin-to-athletic build and was wearing swim trunks. The children were playing with him, and appeared to be relaxed and enjoying themselves. The man also approached one of the witnesses, asking if anyone had been near the children's belongings as their money was "missing". The man then went off to change while the children waited for him. The group were then seen walking away together from the beach some time later, which the police estimated to be around 12:15 pm. The Beaumont parents described their children, particularly Jane, as shy. For them to be playing