The family of a young girl who disappeared 50 years ago say they have gone through a lifetime of grief as police announce a large reward in a renewed effort to solve the case.
Eloise Worledge was eight years old when she went missing from her family home in Beaumaris, in Melbourne’s southeast, on January 13, 1976.
Despite thousands of searches and interviews over the decades, police have never been able to determine what happened to her.
On the 50th anniversary of her disappearance, authorities announced a $1 million reward for information that could assist investigators.
The reward applies to information that leads to the identification of the person or persons responsible for Eloise’s disappearance or that helps police locate her body.
Police have consistently treated the case as suspicious and believe Eloise was murdered.
In a statement, Eloise’s surviving family members said the impact of her disappearance has never diminished.
“(Our) memories of waking up to find her missing are still very vivid and raw and the passage of time has not eased the pain of this loss,” the statement read.
“Ella was and remains deeply loved, she was more than a missing person or a case file – she was a daughter, a sister, a friend, someone who mattered greatly to all who knew her.”
Eloise was last seen at 11.40pm the night before her disappearance.
When her parents searched for her the following morning, they found the flyscreen on her bedroom window had been cut.
Her parents described her as quiet and intelligent and said she would not have left the home voluntarily.
At the time of her disappearance, approximately 250 police officers searched the surrounding area for nearly three weeks and canvassed about 6000 properties.
No trace of Eloise was found.
The case was reviewed by homicide detectives in the early 2000s, with investigators conducting fresh forensic testing and re-interviewing persons of interest, but no new evidence was found,
A coronial inquest held in 2003 resulted in an open finding, with the coroner determining it was not possible to identify anyone responsible for Eloise’s death based on the available evidence.
Eloise’s mother alleged at the time of the disappearance that her husband may have been involved, however, the lead detective told the inquest there was no evidence to implicate either of Eloise’s parents, Lindsay and Patsy Worledge.
Both have since died.
“The ongoing public interest and constant suspicion surrounding (our) family – found to be unsubstantiated more than once – caused a lifetime of immense grief and pain,” the family said.
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