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NSW police begin new search for William Tyrrell

Police have launched a new search of bushland on the mid-north coast, after detectives were accused of having given up on William Tyrrell.

William Tyrrell, pictured aged 3, has been missing since 2014. Picture: Supplied
William Tyrrell, pictured aged 3, has been missing since 2014. Picture: Supplied

NSW police have launched a new search of bushland near Kendall on the mid-north coast, as part of their investigation into missing foster child William Tyrrell.

The search, involving four-wheel drives and cadaver dogs, comes less than a week after senior detectives were accused of having given up on William.

It covers the same ground near Heron’s Creek that was searched last August, and is near where convicted pedophile Frank ­Abbott, 78, lived in a caravan ­before he went to prison on child-sex charges.

The search comes as the new head of homicide in NSW, Detective Superintendent Danny ­Doherty, moves to assure the public that police are “committed to finding William Tyrrell”.

In a statement to The Australian, Superintendent Doherty said recent inquiries suggested “someone in the community knows something”.

His statement came just days after the former head of homicide, Detective Superintendent Scott Cook, was accused by William’s foster mother of giving up on William’s case, saying he would send the files to the “cold case” room.

Superintendent Doherty replaced Superintendent Cook as head of homicide in December.

Mid-north coast locals took to social media on Wednesday to comment on the arrival of police cars and cadaver dogs.

Police would not say what prompted them to again search the woodpile near Abbott’s old caravan, which is a seven-minute drive from the village close to Kendall where William was staying when he disappeared on September 12, 2014.

Abbott made headlines in the 1990s when he was accused of raping and killing a young ­Sydney woman, Helen Mary Harrison, whose body was found in a shallow grave near East Kurrajong, northwest of Sydney, on March 23, 1968.

The case was cold for more than 20 years before Abbott faced trial, twice, in 1994.

The first jury failed to reach a verdict and he was ­acquitted by the second. Abbott is currently serving a 16-year jail sentence after being convicted of 10 counts of sexual misconduct against three children.

Parts of the woodpile were ­reduced to dust during last year’s search.

Superintendent Doherty said Strike Force Rosann, the name given to the investigation into William’s disappearance, was continuing to conduct inquiries into circumstances surrounding his disappearance.

“The investigation remains open,” he said, with the investi­gative team “exploring lines of ­inquiry and persons of interest”.

The statement said police had been actively engaged with the NSW Deputy State Coroner Harriett Grahame “to ensure answers are provided to William’s loved ones”.

Ms Grahame has been inquiring into William’s disappearance for more than a year.

“As this process is continuing, it is not appropriate to comment further on the investigation, other than to say the priority is — and always has been — determining what happened to William,” Superintendent Doherty said.

“Our inquiries suggest someone in the community knows something and Strike Force ­Rosann detectives are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.”

A $1m NSW government reward is in place for information that leads to William’s recovery.

Information can be provided in confidence to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to solicitors assisting the coroner on 02 8346 1388.

A NSW police spokeswoman confirmed a new search was taking place in the Kendall area on Wednesday but “no further information is available at this time”.

An inquest into William’s disappearance is due to resume at the Taree courthouse on March 9.

Caroline Overington
Caroline OveringtonLiterary Editor

Caroline Overington has twice won Australia’s most prestigious award for journalism, the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism; she has also won the Sir Keith Murdoch award for Journalistic Excellence; and the richest prize for business writing, the Blake Dawson Prize. She writes thrillers for HarperCollins, and she's the author of Last Woman Hanged, which won the Davitt Award for True Crime Writing.

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/nsw-police-begin-new-search-for-william-tyrrell/news-story/282c8fa13fd191f463770d295b73845b