It was a quiet Friday morning, in a cul-de-sac facing thick bushland in a sleepy town on the mid-north coast of New South Wales.
A boy was playing in the yard of his adoptive grandmother’s house with his sister.
And at some point, his foster mother said, during a game of “daddy tiger,” he slipped around a corner and disappeared, never to be seen again.
Thursday marks the 10th anniversary of one of the country’s most enduring mysteries: the disappearance of William Tyrrell.
William should be 13 years old and have started high school this year.
But a decade later, what happened to the boy in the Spider-Man suit remains a mystery.
There is hope that a long-delayed investigation will provide answers for their loved ones, but it is a question that may never be resolved.
September 12, 2014
Thursday marks the 10th anniversary of one of the country’s most enduring mysteries: the disappearance of William Tyrrell.
On the evening of September 11, 2014, William – then three years old – and his family made the four-hour drive from Sydney to visit his adoptive grandmother in Kendall.
The next morning, the foster mother was sitting outside, watching William and his sister playing a game similar to hide-and-seek.
Sometime around 10.30am, he hid in a corner and was never seen again, the foster mother previously said.
At the time he didn’t think much of it, but after not listening to him for several minutes, he realized something was wrong.
“I’m speechless, I’m just walking around in the same place thinking: where is he? Why can’t I see him?” the adoptive mother previously said on the podcast Where is William Tyrrell?
“And I yell at him: ‘William, where are you? You have to talk to Mom, tell me where you are. I can’t see you, I can’t hear you. Where are you?’
“And he was nowhere to be found. I remember thinking, how could he just disappear like that?”
She estimates that he was not out of her sight for five minutes.
WHERE IS WILLIAM?
At 10:56, her adoptive mother called triple zero to report her missing and the police arrived less than 10 minutes later.
“My son is missing, he is three and a half years old,” said the adoptive mother in the call, which has already been reproduced in an investigation.
The family and neighbors had been frantically searching
William’s adoptive father had returned home after driving into the city to get a better Internet connection while dialing into a work conference call.
A massive search was launched in nearby houses and bushes.
Police, SES workers, the Rural Fire Service and local residents searched the surrounding area and local woodland.
Sex Crimes Squad detectives became involved in the investigation before the Homicide Squad took over and established Strike Force Rosann.
In 2021, police began investigating a theory that William had died after accidentally falling from a balcony and his adoptive mother had disposed of the body. William’s adoptive mother and father have continually denied the allegation.
On the afternoon of September 11, 2014, William, then three years old, and his family made the four-hour drive from Sydney to visit his adoptive grandmother in Kendall.
They investigated reports that two cars were seen on the quiet street that morning.
Washing machine repairman Bill Spedding at one point became the prime suspect in William’s disappearance despite consistently denying having anything to do with his disappearance.
Police attempted to prosecute him for an unrelated historical sexual assault, but he was later acquitted.
He successfully sued the State of New South Wales for malicious prosecution and was awarded $1.8 million in damages, as well as being cleared of any involvement in William’s case.
Over the past decade, police have received thousands of reports of sightings.
Despite 10 years of searching, the mystery of what happened to William looms over the Kendall community and his family.
An investigation into his disappearance was launched in March 2019 to find out if he had been kidnapped by a predator.
THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS
In 2021, police began investigating a theory that William had died in an accidental fall from a balcony and the foster mother had disposed of the body.
William’s adoptive mother and father have continually denied the accusation or any knowledge of William’s disappearance.
And the local court had previously heard that when asked about that theory at a Crime Commission hearing, she said: “I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it.”
In late 2021, police began a new search for Kendall, searching the flowerbed beneath the balcony of the home previously occupied by William’s foster grandmother.
Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame was due to deliver the findings of her inquest in June 2021, but that has been delayed.
NSW Police sent a report of evidence to the Director of Public Prosecutions asking whether the foster mother could be charged with interfering with a dead body and perverting the course of justice.
William Spedding (left) successfully sued the state for malicious prosecution
Police raided William’s foster grandmother’s former home in 2021
William’s adoptive parents continue to deny any wrongdoing and the adoptive mother has not been charged.
In September last year, the adoptive parents’ lawyer, Rylie Hahn, asked police to release any evidence.
“William’s adoptive mother maintains she had nothing to do with his disappearance … and is asking police to continue searching for William and what happened to him,” Hahn said.
In 2022, William’s adoptive mother was found not guilty of lying to the New South Wales Crime Commission.
William’s adoptive father was also acquitted in November last year of five charges of lying to the New South Wales Crime Commission.
The local court previously heard that when they were summoned to appear before the Criminal Commission, an officer told them: “We know why, we know how. We know where he is.”
The investigation is scheduled to resume with another set of hearings later this year.
During a directions hearing at the New South Wales Coroner’s Court last month, Ms Grahame confirmed the dates for the final block of hearings, in the weeks commencing November 4 and December 16.