William Tyrrell’s foster Nana,one of the last two adults to see him alive, dies
William Tyrrell’s foster grandmother, who was one of the last two adults to see the boy alive, has died.
William Tyrrell’s foster grandmother, who was one of the last two adults to see the boy alive, has died.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, owned the house at 48 Benaroon Drive in the village of Kendall, on the NSW mid-north coast where William was staying when he went missing.
His disappearance sparked one of the largest and most expensive missing person’s cases in Australian history.
William was just three years and three months old, was dressed in a Spider-Man suit when he disappeared at around 10.15am on September 12, 2014.
He was living with his foster parents, and the family was visiting his foster Mum’s mum in Kendall at the time of his disappearance.
In a statement at the time, William’s foster Nana told police that she was sitting on the back deck of the house at Benaroon Drive with her daughter — William’s foster Mum — while William and his sister played outside.
‘I can’t think of anyone who would want to harm William,’ she said, although she was worried about a man on the street who “keeps odd hours and lives alone.”
She said William was “full of beans … jumping out of his skin with energy” on the morning of his disappearance.
“He ran down the two small stairs of the back patio, onto the grass and he ran around the right hand side of the house (to the front).
“That is the last time I saw William.’’
Nobody has ever been charged in relation to the crime.
A million-dollar reward for information leading to William remains unclaimed.
The foster grandmother’s house was on a big block, with tall trees and shrubs. William was playing a game he called “Daddy Tiger” which involved running around the garden making roaring sounds.
His foster Mum has said he went around the corner of the house, made one last roar, and he was not been seen since.
The case has baffled NSW Police, and cost the celebrated homicide detective Gary Jubelin his career.
Mr Jubelin quit the force after being accused of wrongdoing in the case. He was later convicted of making illegal recordings and fined.
He has said he was simply doing all he could to try to find William.
William’s foster Nana had already sold her house when William went missing although the settlement had not yet gone through.
She moved after the sale to nearby Laurieton. She was 88 when she died.
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