An English family of four who were key witnesses to the abduction of toddler Cheryl Grimmer from a Wollongong beach 47 years ago is being asked to come forward again.
A 63-year-old man was last month charged with killing Cheryl, who vanished from outside a shower block at Fairy Meadow Beach during a family outing on January 12, 1970.
Her body has never been found.
Police are now trying to track down witnesses Peter William Aubrey Goodyear, his wife Mavis and their two daughters Karen and Jannette, who provided crucial statements on the day Cheryl disappeared.
Mr Goodyear who was 37 at the time, was a labourer at the John Lysaght Springhill metal works in the Illawarra, and the family lived at the Fairy Meadow Commonwealth Hostel.
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In late 1970 the family then moved to Papua New Guinea and lived at the 'Biabi' plantation on Kar Kar Island in Madang, before returning to Nottinghamshire in England.
Detective Sergeant Damian Loone said efforts to find Mr Goodyear have failed.
"We have been making inquiries with authorities in Britain in a bid to find Mr Goodyear, if he is still alive, to determine whether he can still assist our ongoing inquiries," he said in a statement on Thursday.
"We are keen to hear from anyone, here or abroad, who can help us locate the Goodyears."
The 63-year-old man who was extradited to NSW from Victoria in March will remain behind bars until his next court appearance on May 24.
