William Tyrell: Fabric unearthed in new dig site as storm bears down on cops
A new fragment of fabric has been unearthed by police churning through soil for the remains of William Tyrrell as a storm threatens to turn a new dig site to mud.
NSW
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A storm is looming over the remote town where police are desperately digging for the remains of William Tyrrell just as more fragments of potential evidence are pulled from the muddy ground.
A fresh team of police were brought in to the NSW mid-north coast town of Kendall on Sunday to replace the dozens of officers who have spent a week digging and sifting through the dense bushland for Strikeforce Rosann.
The reinforcements came as the month-long operation changed focus to a new dig site just 900 metres from the home of William’s foster grandmother — the place the boy vanished from — in 2014.
A small, dark piece of muddy fabric of unknown colour was pulled from the new site on Sunday.
The fabric’s significance is not yet known but it’s expected it will join the thousands of other pieces of detritus exhumed and analysed in the case.
The new area of interest is on a quiet - but not deserted - country road.
Overnight showers have turned the earth at the new site to mud and a massive storm, which has set in over the east coast of the state, is now expected to bring up to 80 millimetres more down on Kendall.
The downpour could turn the sensitive archaeological site into a quagmire and police have laid down black plastic tarps over areas they have excavated or plan to dig into in coming days.
Police sources say they will brave the rain to clear out the undergrowth and fallen branches even if the weather deteriorates overnight.
Homicide Detective Sean Ogilvy and a team of experts were spotted on Sunday examining fragments of further debris unearthed at the new dig site after officers in gumboots sifted buckets and buckets of earth through giant mesh screens.
Despite years since William’s tragic disappearance the officers now heading up the search are confident they will solve the mystery and bring closure to the boy’s family.
“We’re confident we’ll get closure for the family,” grave archaeologist Dr Tony Lowe said.
A police source said no fire had gone through the area in the last seven years but vegetation dying off and growing back would have caused changes.
Police are now working on the theory William may have been placed in the bush after his death, rather than buried in a grave, meaning his remains would be close to the surface even after years undisturbed in the bush.
Ground penetrating radar could be crucial to peeling back those layers and police deployed the technology again on Sunday to test the depths of the topsoil around the new dig site.
Strikeforce Rosann was established in 2014 to investigate William’s disappearance and has now turned its attention on the boy’s foster mother as the sole person of interest.
No charges have been laid.
As clouds gathered on Sunday afternoon the officers downed tools and were sent home, cadaver dog in tow.
The search will continue on Monday with the fresh dig teams keen to do whatever they can to solve the seven year mystery that has gripped the nation.
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