'Boys home' may be key to 1970 abduction

Former residents or staff of a state-run boys home may hold the key the unsolved abduction and possible murder of three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer from Wollongong in 1970, police believe.

Cheryl was just three when she disappeared from outside a Fairy Meadow Beach shower block on January 12, 1970, but no trace of her has ever been found, despite an extensive search.

Police re-examining the case said on Friday they would like to speak to former staff or residents of Mount Penang Training School, a government-run home and juvenile justice centre for boys, who may have information about the crime.

In December, Cheryl's three older brothers appealed for their little sister's abductor to come forward after police said they had identified a suspect for the crime, who would now be in his 60s.