‘No stone left unturned’: Detectives urge people to come forward on William Tyrrell’s 10th birthday

Homicide detectives have made a fresh appeal for anyone with information about missing boy William Tyrrell to come forward, as Saturday marks the day he would have celebrated his tenth birthday.

William, then aged three, was wearing a Spider-Man suit when he vanished from the yard of his foster grandmother’s home at Kendall on the NSW mid north coast on September 12, 2014.

William Tyrrell vanished in 2014 dressed in his Spider-Man suit.

An inquest in the NSW Coroners Court, which has not yet delivered findings, has examined William’s disappearance and suspected death. The lead homicide detective investigating the disappearance told the inquest that police will “never” give up on William.

In a statement on Saturday, when William should have been celebrating his 10th birthday surrounded by family and friends, homicide squad commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said both of William’s families have shown strength and courage in the years since he vanished.

“The NSW Police Force remains committed to finding William Tyrrell with the Homicide Squad’s Strike Force Rosann continuing to conduct investigations into the circumstances surrounding his disappearance,” Detective Superintendent Doherty said.

“Detectives are reviewing all evidence obtained since William’s disappearance and have recently sought the assistance of numerous experts to ensure no stone is left unturned.

William Tyrrell went missing from the yard of his grandmother’s home on September 12, 2014. Credit: Wolter Peeters

“Whilst the coronial inquest is yet to be finalised, the investigation is ongoing, and the strike force team is actively engaged with the Deputy State Coroner to ensure answers are provided to William’s loved ones.

“We acknowledge that today marks another important milestone without answers for the families and as such, our focus remains on the investigation to find out what happened to William.

“As our inquiries continue, we encourage anyone in the community with information – no matter how big or small – to come forward, so we may provide answers to his families.”

William Tyrrell remains missing.

Police suspect William vanished due to human intervention.

It was initially thought that William had simply wandered off. In the hours and days after his disappearance, hundreds of volunteers and emergency services workers searched in forests, creeks and paddocks but found no trace of him.

Strike Force Rosann was established soon afterwards. A team of detectives has combed through vast amounts of information in the years since William disappeared, including searching in bushland and examining multiple persons of interest.

A $1 million reward is in place for anyone who provides information leading to William being found.

On one of the final days of the inquest last year, William’s relatives gave emotional statements about the toll his disappearance has taken on their lives.

His foster mother said it was a nightmare to drive home from Kendall without him, and “our world and the contented life we knew collapsed around us”.

His biological family said they were angry and frustrated and want answers.

“William’s father will never be the same. William’s grandmother will never be the same. Life will never be the same again,” the biological family said in a statement at the inquest.

William’s sister, who had been with him shortly before he vanished, said in a recording played to the court that she will become a police officer when she is older to finally locate him.

“The day he disappeared we lost everything. We lost my innocent brother,” she said. “He now needs to be found. So please help our family, but most of all me, find our precious William.”

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