During a recent search of a property in South Australia, forensic archaeologists uncovered a peculiar bone fragment, which may belong to a young human child. Professor Maciej Henneberg reported to 9News that the bone exhibited unfused growth plates, indicating it came from an immature individual. He expressed a 90 per cent certainty that the fragment could be a part of a small human pelvis.
The discovery is linked to the unsolved cases of Joanne Ratcliffe, who was 11, and Kirste Gordon, aged four, who vanished from Adelaide Oval during a football match over 50 years ago. These girls were kidnapped, and a private investigative team is currently probing into their disappearance, focusing on a property previously owned by the deceased Stanley Arthur Hart, who was once considered a suspect but later cleared by authorities.
Bryan Littley, a private investigator involved in the search, noted the initial impression of the bone fragment, which he described as appearing similar to glass. Nonetheless, further forensic analysis will be necessary to determine its nature, and if proven to be a human bone, the team is legally mandated to surrender it to the police.
Littley emphasized the emotional weight of the investigation, stating, “If your girls went missing, how would you feel?” He acknowledged the hope that their efforts may rekindle for the families involved, reiterating their determination to find closure in this long-standing case.
Despite ongoing investigative efforts and a $1 million reward offered in 2014, no one has ever been charged in connection with the abductions, and the whereabouts of Ratcliffe and Gordon remain unknown. The South Australian Police continue to treat the case as an “active and ongoing investigation.”