Jim And Nancy Beaumont Case Study

Impact on the Parents

Jim and Nancy Beaumont continued to hold out hope for the reappearance of their children for several decades after their disappearance. In fact, the couple continued to live at the Somerton Park home, at 109 Harding Street, that they shared with their children for nearly two decades, hoping that the children would return home someday. Nancy Beaumont was reported as saying that it would be “dreadful” if the children returned to the home only to find that their parents had moved.

The couple were never considered suspects in the case and cooperated with the police at every turn in the investigation, including working with the police and searching in vain every time a new lead developed in the case over the next several decades.

Jim, in particular, is reported to still be suffering with intense and inconsolable grief every time a new development is reported and their children's disappearance is reported on by the media again. Nancy was also reported to have suffered extreme grief and horror when, in 1990, several Australian newspapers released computer-generated images of what her children would look like after aging several decades. She reportedly refused to look at the pictures.

Lastly, Jim and Nancy have largely been seen as sympathetic and pitiable figures in the Australian media and in society at large. Although their actions may seem reckless or irresponsible by today’s standards, Australian society was viewed as extremely safe in the 1960s and their policy of allowing a child to supervise their younger siblings both at the home and in public was practiced by a large portion of Australian parents.

Impact on Australian