What we know so far
- Forensic investigations are focusing specifically on the balcony and gardens of the Benaroon Drive home where William disappeared. The home was formerly owned by William's late foster grandmother.
- Specialist forensic teams with cadaver dogs are examining a site of Cobb and Co Rd/Batar Creek Rd for soil disturbances or items of interest.
- A car formerly owned by William's foster grandmother has been seized for forensic investigation.
- Strike Force Rosann has 'one particular person' of interest. They are looking for William Tyrrell's remains.
- A Coronial Inquest into the boy's disappearance is ongoing.
STRIKE Force Rosann will on Thursday (November 18) use specialist subterranean equipment at the NSW Mid North Coast home where William Tyrrell disappeared in 2014.
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A NSW Police spokesperson confirmed the team will use a ground penetrating radar on the concrete slab of the garage at the Benaroon Drive home, Kendall, formerly owned by William Tyrrell's late foster grandmother.
The current home owner is working with the investigation team to ensure they have full access to the property.
An item found at another search location on Wednesday (November 17) has been sent away for forensic analysis to the Forensic and Analytical Science Service (FASS).
Investigators compared the item to a replica Spiderman suit worn by William on the day he vanished. Any similarities were ruled out.
The search site at Cobb and Co Rd/Batar Creek Rd, not far from the Benaroon Drive home, has been sectioned off using a grid search method.
There will be no further digging at that location until the item is analysed, a NSW Police spokesperson said.
Rural Fire Service volunteers (RFS) will support the investigation team by moving further into the Batar Creek Rd location and assisting with the removal of trees.
Read more:
- 'We are looking for the remains of William Tyrrell'
- One suspect, three key search areas in renewed search for William Tyrrell's remains
- Back where it all started: garden focus of William Tyrrell search
- Strike Force Rosann to build on solid evidence base in targeted William Tyrrell search
- Item discovery compared to Spiderman suit ruled out in Tyrrell dig
Meanwhile, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has described the William Tyrrell case as a 'tragedy' in commending Strike Force Rosann's renewed and rigorous efforts to bring closure to a mystery that has brought investigators back to where it all started.
The Strike Force has returned to three sites of interest in a series of high intensity search campaigns that have shifted the focus directly back on the home in Benaroon Drive where William disappeared on the morning of September 12, 2014.
William was visiting his foster grandmother at Kendall with his foster parents and sister on the day he disappeared.
The three-year-old was playing with his sister on the balcony of his foster grandmother's home. He was wearing a Spiderman suit and growling - his favourite game was "tigers".
In the short time his foster mother went inside to make a cup of tea, according to evidence provided in the ongoing coronial inquest into the boy's disappearance, William disappeared.
He has not been seen since, nor has there been any definitive evidence to clearly determine what happened.
The seven-year investigation has examined thousands of pieces of evidence and hundreds of persons of interest.
The initial search for a missing child later shifted to the assumption William vanished as a result of human intervention. The investigation as to who may have taken William, and why, expanded the investigation internationally.
The 'human intervention' theory remains very much in play and work at Kendall this week but the investigation team has returned specifically to the balcony and gardens at the Benaroon Drive home; a site in bushland off Cobb and Co Rd/Batar Creek Road not far from the home; and the late foster grandmother's car which has been seized for forensic examination.
The latest search, according to NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller, has zeroed in on 'one particular person'.
He was also publicly critical of earlier investigative work in the case as being "a bit of a mess". The team now under Chief Inspector David Laidlaw, he said, is the "best we've got".
Asked if police were investigating whether William died after falling from a balcony at the house and a vehicle was used to take his body elsewhere, Police Minister David Elliott said every option was being considered.
"With a mysterious incident like this, every single option has to be investigated, every scenario has to be reviewed and tested," he said on Tuesday.
"Let's hope whatever the conclusion is, (it) gives closure to the families and community."
NSW Police deputy commissioner Malcolm Lanyon said investigators were committed to the active investigation.
"The NSW Police will not stop until such time as we've investigated every possible lead," he said.
Gary Jubelin, former head of Strike Force Rosann, said the foster family was ruled out as persons of interest early on in the investigation.
Mr Jubelin spoke on 2GB on Thursday (November 18) defending the work of the Strike Force in gathering evidence and considering all suspects while under his lead.
He joined the investigation five months after William disappeared and after conducting another 'covert operation', the foster family was once again ruled out, Mr Jubelin said.
He said all possible scenarios around what might have happened to William were considered.
Mr Jubelin said he was "frustrated" by claims made this week by the Police Commissioner that time had been wasted on the case.
He warned the public not to make assumptions, or form opinions, based on theory.
The former detective chief inspector led the police search for William from February 2015 until early 2019.
Mr Jubelin resigned after allegations were proven he had made illegal recordings during the investigation.
On September 7, 2021 they were also highly critical of media reports the Strike Force had a new person of interest in the case.
The family issued a public statement saying "time and time again we've watched people lose sight of the tragic reality that William was a precious, innocent little boy who was taken from those he loved and who love him deeply, forgetting that there is a heartbroken family waiting in hope that William will be found."
A coronial inquest commenced into William's disappearance in March 2019 and remains ongoing.
It is being overseen by Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame.