New William Tyrrell theory takes police to grandmother’s balcony

Police are reportedly investigating a new theory in the William Tyrrell case, as they descend on the home where he was last seen.

Police officers have descended on a home on NSW’s Mid North Coast where William Tyrrell was last seen in 2014, with reports cops are investigating a new theory.

Multiple media reports suggest police are now probing whether the three-year-old fatally fell from the balcony of his foster grandmother’s home in Kendall.

Officers have been seen searching the area directly below the balcony today, and also scanning an area of bushland about one kilometre from the house.

Peter Stefanovic and a team of experts piece together the timeline before and after William Tyrrell went missing in the Sky News documentary Little Boy Lost, now streaming on Flash. New customers try 14 days free >

Police have been pictured removing plants and debris from the garden, with The Sydney Morning Herald also reporting Luminol, a substance that shows traces of blood, is being sprayed in the area.

A cadaver dog is also being used to comb through the garden bed.

On Monday, police revealed “many hundreds of officers” would search three locations around the area where the three-year-old disappeared more than seven years ago.

William was playing with his five-year-old sister in the yard at his foster grandmother’s house on Benaroon Drive, Kendall, on the NSW mid-north coast on September 12, 2014, when she suddenly couldn’t find him.

He was three years old at the time and wearing a Spider-Man costume.

NSW Police search the front garden of William Tyrrell’s foster grandmother’s house in Kendall. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Police sift through a garden as part of the investigation into William Tyrrell’s disappearance. Picture: NSW Police

Reports of the new theory come as information was revealed about a suspect in the boy’s disappearance.

The suspect, who cannot be named for legal reasons, recently had a child removed from her custody and had an apprehended violence order taken out against her.

It is understood the woman had previously been spoken to by police but was never pursued as part of the investigation.

Speaking to 2GB on Tuesday morning, Police Commissioner Mick Fuller there is “certainly one person, in particular, we are looking closely at” in relation to the investigation.

“I’m confident that the team who has the investigation at the moment can solve it,” he said.

His comments came after it was revealed police would be taking two key suspects in William Tyrrell’s disappearance to court later this month.

William Tyrrell went missing from his foster grandmother’s house in Kendall in 2014.

Police pictured on Day 2 of the renewed search operation for William. Picture: NSW Police

Investigators are seeking an apprehended violence order against the two suspects, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The AVO application was filed in Hornsby Local Court by Detective Sean Ogilvy and will be heard on November 23.

Mr Fuller was tight-lipped when asked about the AVOs being sought against the suspects.

He told 2GB he wouldn’t want to “compromise any aspect of the investigation” by speaking about the situation.

“The team is working diligently and they are searching today and will continue to search bushland and other areas in the coming days,” Mr Fuller said.

“We are hopefully that we will find some forensic evidence that will assist us in solving this case.”

Police Minister David Elliot had a similar response when asked about the suspects on Sunrise this morning. said he had to be cautious about what was said in regards to the suspects.

“It is a matter of public record that police are issuing AVOs,” he said.

“We need to be cautious about how we discuss that in the public domain so smart lawyers don’t use our comments to neutralise a conviction.”

Cops’ ‘surprising’ move in Tyrrell search

On Tuesday, 10 News journalist Lia Harris revealed the move by police she believes hinted they may have changed their tactics in the search for William.

Harris hosted the ‘Where’s William Tyrrell?’ podcast, which included multiple interviews with the boy’s foster family and many others.

Speaking to 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Tuesday, Harris said police issued a subpoena from the Coroner’s Court about two weeks ago that covered “everything that we had” in relation to the investigation.

In creating the podcast, Harris said she had uncovered audio, files, documents along with multiple interviews with William’s foster family.

“It wasn’t surprising that they wanted all of that because we already knew that we had uncovered things that perhaps police hadn’t found,” she said.

“But what was surprising is that it came two years after the podcast was born and two years after the coronial inquest.”

Police are conducting a new search for William Tyrrell at Kendall. Picture: Shane Chalker

Police are using cadaver dogs to assist with the search. Picture: Shane Chalker

Harris said this signified to her that police had taken a new direction with the search.

A Network 10 spokeswoman told news.com.au on Monday that audio files from the podcast were subpoenaed by the NSW Coroner’s Court.

“We can confirm that raw audio files from the podcast by Lia Harris, ‘Where’s William Tyrrell?’ – including interviews with William Tyrrell’s foster family and others close to the case – were subpoenaed by the NSW Coroner’s Court,” she said.

Police ‘hopeful’ Tyrrell case can be concluded

State Crime Command director Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett fronted the media on Monday, saying said the renewed search efforts are expected to take two to three weeks.

He said the operation would involve checking “new locations” and a “different type of search method”.

“This activity is in response to evidence we have obtained in the course of the investigation, not speculative in any way, we are acting on behalf of the coroner and in conjunction with the colonial orders, she will be kept updated with regard to our progress,” Mr Bennett said.

“There is a large amount of work to be undertaken, we will be working specialist areas and people from outside the police force. We are very hopeful we can bring this matter to some sort of conclusion.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett addresses the press. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Asked whether they were looking for William’s remains or whether they were looking for him alive, he said it was “highly likely” officers would be looking for a body.

“It’s highly likely that we, if we found something it would be a body. We are looking for the remains of William Tyrrell, no doubt about that,” he said.

He said he believes the search will “take us a degree towards finding out what happened to William”.

“I’m not anticipating a swift end to the investigation by any means,” he said.

Police Minister David Elliott told Today that officers would be looking for any “ground that's been disturbed” in the area where William disappeared.

“We’ve got an excellent Rural Fire Service here in NSW,” Mr Elliott said.

“They are experts in managing the ground, in identifying any soil that may have been moved, in any ground that’s been disturbed, and that’s what they are looking out for.”

Strike Force Rosann detectives have investigated hundreds of leads and several suspects as part of the ongoing search for William.

A $1 million reward is still on the table for finding the missing child.

In September, detectives revisited the Kendall area where William vanished and revealed new information had “come to light”.

Strike Force Rosann revisit Kendall for 7th anniversary of William Tyrrell’s disappearance in September.

Police have begun a new search for William. Picture: Police Media

The Homicide Squad’s Strike Force Rosann marked the seven-year anniversary of the disappearance by revisiting his foster grandmother’s home on the NSW mid-north coast.

“Further information has since come to light, as part of our ongoing review of the materials gathered by investigators since the moment William went missing seven years ago,” Strike Force Rosann Officer-in-Charge, Detective Chief Inspector David Laidlaw, said at the time.

Police did not comment further as to what the new information was, but the previous week it had been reported detectives had renewed their inquiries into a suspect who had previously been dismissed.

– with Ben Graham