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On the morning of January 13, 1976, eight-year-old Eloise was reported missing by her parents. Her disappearance has puzzled investigators for nearly fifty years.
The night before she vanished, Eloise was last seen tucked into her bed around 11:40 p.m. at the family’s home on Scott Street in Beaumaris.
When her parents discovered she was gone, they noticed the flyscreen on her bedroom window had been cut and rolled back, yet nothing else appeared to be missing from her room.
Eloise was the eldest of three siblings and was characterized as a quiet, intelligent child who would not have left her home on her own accord.
Since her disappearance, the case has been handled as suspicious. Over the decades, police have conducted a thorough investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and to identify those responsible.
At the time of her disappearance, police conducted one of the then-largest search operations in Victoria.
More than 250 police were deployed over 18 days, conducting a systematic ground search of Beaumaris and nearby suburbs, including parks, reserves, vacant properties, and the foreshore.
Police also canvassed more than 6000 properties in the area.
No trace of Eloise was found.
Over the years, detectives have spoken with thousands of people, including undertaking multiple interviews of family, friends, neighbours and school contacts.
A taskforce was initially set up in 1976 to investigate Eloise’s disappearance and the investigation has remained active since that time.
There have been multiple reviews, including by the Homicide squad in the early 2000s, and the Missing Persons Squad in 2023.
An inquest in 2003 returned an open finding, with the coroner stating it was not possible on the evidence gathered to determine who was responsible for Eloise’s disappearance.
Since she vanished, there have been no confirmed sightings of Eloise and police believe she was murdered.
A reward of $10,000 was posted at the time of Eloise’s disappearance, which is now being increased to $1 million.
The reward is currently unique in Victoria as it also includes payment for information that leads to the location of Eloise’s remains, rather than solely identifying who was responsible for her presumed death.
The Director of Public Prosecutions may also grant indemnity to anybody who provides information about the perpetrator.