William Tyrrell search to wrap up within days, police announce

NSW Police have announced they expect the search operation for William Tyrrell to be “completed” within days.

The police search for missing boy William Tyrrell is drawing to a close.

On Tuesday afternoon, NSW Police announced search operations were expected to wrap up within days.

However, a forensic examination of seized items and a large amount of soil will continue.

A large-scale forensic search has been carried out in the Kendall area, where William disappeared seven years ago, for the past month.

A team of police, Rural Fire Service personnel and various experts has been clearing and meticulously searching through dense bushland.

“The NSW Police Force advises current inquiries and search operations being undertaken in the Kendall area are expected to be completed in the coming days,” police said in a statement.

“The forensic search, which is being conducted under a coronial order as part of ongoing investigations into the disappearance of William Tyrrell, has been ongoing since Monday, November 15.

“Once the search operation is complete, a team will facilitate a repatriation of the site. Further, forensic examinations of seized items and a significant quantity of soil remain ongoing.

“Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame has been appraised, and Strike Force Rosann detectives continue to prepare a brief for the information of Her Honour.

“Investigators would like to thank the NSW Rural Fire Servce, Salvation Army and the local community for their hospitality and assistance.”

Police are wrapping up a month-long search of the area around where William Tyrrell disappeared. NCA NewsWire / Peter Lorimer.

Police have found multiple pieces of fabric throughout the search, and officers have been seen comparing some of the discoveries to a sample of a red and blue Spider-Man suit.

William was wearing a Spider-Man outfit when he vanished on September 14, 2014, from his foster grandmother’s home on Benaroon Drive in Kendall.

His initial disappearance sparked a major police search, with one of the main theories investigated over the years being a possible abduction.

Seven years later, investigators turned their attention back to the area where he was last seen.

Officers involved in the fresh month-long search have had to battle tough weather conditions, with relentless rain frequently hampering their efforts.

Strike Force Rosann detectives searching for William Tyrrell's remains in scrub off Batar Creek Rd. Picture News Corp Australia/Trevor Veale

Investigators searching for the remains of William Tyrrell.

Last month the NSW Police State Crime Command Director, Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett, conceded they “couldn’t have picked a worse time” in terms of weather to be conducting the search.

He predicted the search would extend “well beyond” the initial estimated timeframe of three weeks set out by police.

He said the decision to revive the search was made “in response to evidence we have obtained over the course of the investigation” and was “not speculative in any way”.

Supt Bennett said police were “very happy” with the evidence they had collected, but had no “great milestone” to report to the pubilc.

When the new search began on November 15, police confirmed there was “no doubt” they were looking for William’s remains.

The young boy has never been found despite years of sustained detective work, the identification of hundreds of people of interest, a million dollar reward for information and the ongoing coronial inquiry.

Originally published as William Tyrrell search to wrap up within days, police announce