A significant breakthrough has emerged in the decades-old case of two girls abducted from Adelaide Oval in 1973. Police have acquired a bone fragment discovered during a recent excavation in South Australia’s mid-north region. The girls, Joanne Ratcliffe and Kirste Gordon, have remained missing since they disappeared from the sporting venue over fifty years ago.
The bone was found in Yatina, on a property that was once owned by Stanley Arthur Hart, who is considered a key suspect in the abduction case by private investigators. Forensic analysis conducted by an expert indicates that the fragment is likely a part of a small human pelvis, which appears to contain glass embedded within it.
While South Australia Police had previously cleared Hart of suspicion, they have stated that if the bone is confirmed to be human, further investigations will take place to determine its potential connection to the girls’ disappearance. Authorities have cautioned against jumping to conclusions, emphasising that even if the bone is confirmed as human, it does not automatically link it to either Joanne or Kirste.
Currently, police are unable to provide a timeline for when the results of the testing will be available. The case continues to unfold as authorities seek to bring closure to the longstanding mystery surrounding the abductions.