Detectives investigating William Tyrrell’s disappearance continue witness interviews

Detectives investigating William Tyrrell’s disappearance are conducting more interviews as they continue to comb through evidence.

Detectives investigating the disappearance of William Tyrrell are conducting more interviews after a subdued end to their renewed search for the missing boy’s remains.

Strike Force Rosann investigators ended their search efforts late last year after spending about a month combing bushland in Kendall on the NSW mid north coast near the house where William was last seen in September 2014.

NSW Police restarted their search, which has not yet yielded a major breakthrough, as their focus shifted for the first time to William’s foster mother as a person of interest in the case.

She and her husband have never been charged in relation to his disappearance and strongly deny any involvement.

Detectives are now reviewing evidence gathered in Kendall last year in consultation with forensic experts as well as conducting fresh interviews.

Detectives spent about a month on a renewed search for William’s remains in Kendall late last year. Picture: Trevor Veale

Among those being interviewed is a child, who is not William, who police allege was assaulted by William’s foster parents in an unrelated case that will return to court this year.

Neither the child nor the couple can be identified for legal reasons, while non-publication orders also restrict media reporting on the nature of the allegations.

The foster parents have pleaded not guilty, with their lawyers telling Hornsby Local Court in December they intend to argue their case should be dealt with under the Mental Health Act.

Police were preparing to reinterview the child complainant in the case and would serve a brief of evidence by February 1, the court was told.

William was three years old when he vanished, seemingly without a trace, from the property that then belonged to his foster grandmother.

He has never been found despite years of detective work, the interrogation of people of interest and a coronial inquest that remains open.

William was three years old when he vanished. Picture: Supplied

Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame, who is overseeing the inquest, was due to hand down her findings in June last year, but this was delayed before detectives returned to Kendall.

A Coroners Court spokesman said on Thursday there was no date set for the inquest to resume and Ms Grahame would not be commenting on the matter as the inquiry was ongoing.

A NSW Police spokeswoman said: “Strike Force Rosann detectives are continuing to conduct interviews and other investigative activity, including those under coronial orders, as well as reviewing all material with the assistance of various experts.”

State Crime Command director Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett said in November, mid-search, that Strike Force Rosann was “very happy with the items we’ve found in terms of their relevance to the investigation”.

The $1m reward for information that leads to the recovery of William, and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, remains in place.

Police continue to urge anyone with information to come forward.

Originally published as Detectives investigating William Tyrrell’s disappearance continue witness interviews