The adoptive mother of missing boy William Tyrrell has broken her two-year silence to criticize police for having “done nothing” to find the boy.
William disappeared from his adoptive grandmother’s home in Kendall, a small town on the mid north coast of New South Wales, at just three years old on September 12, 2014.
His disappearance has remained a mystery for 10 years, but detectives announced in 2021 that they had a new line of investigation with the boy’s adoptive mother as their main person of interest.
Theories conveyed by senior officers alleged that William may have died from misfortune and that his adoptive mother disposed of his body.
However, in a rare interview with news corporationThe adoptive mother, who cannot be named, accused NSW Police of letting William’s abductor escape while he was busy “chasing” her.
“I believe that if the police had properly investigated this case, instead of pursuing me, they may well have found the person responsible for William’s disappearance,” he told the Witness: William Tyrrell podcast.
The adoptive mother further argued her innocence, saying she “has no idea who took William or what happened to him.”
“For the last five years, the police have done nothing to try to find out who took William and what happened to him,” he said.
William Tyrrell (pictured on the day of his disappearance in 2014) disappeared from his adoptive grandmother’s home 10 years ago.
William’s adoptive mother in 2021 was named detectives’ top person of interest with allegations she hid the boy’s body after he died from a ‘misadventure’ (pictured, William’s adoptive parents in September 2023)
‘Instead, they have concentrated all their efforts on trying to build a case that I was somehow guilty of her death and the disposal of her precious little body.
“They have done everything possible to denigrate my character in the media.”
New South Wales Police were unable to respond to her allegations due to the ongoing forensic investigation into William’s disappearance.
William’s adoptive mother faced harsh speculation in November 2021 after New South Wales Police sought an Arrested Violence Order (AVO) against her in relation to allegations she assaulted another child.
During court proceedings, parts of the NSW Police theory against her were shared with Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan in 2022, stating that she “knows where William Tyrrell is”.
‘When asked if the police theory ‘at its fullest’ involved the foster mother interfering with a dead body, he replied ‘yes.’
William’s biological family also spoke on the podcast with his biological grandmother, Natalie Collins, admitting last week that she had previously “hid” the boy from authorities.
Collins said he was behind his first disappearance after a court ordered him separated from his biological parents – his son Brendan Collins and Karlie Tyrrell.
“So I hid them,” Mrs. Collins said to the podcast.
“I hid them for three months after I found out that (NSW government officials) were going to take William away… I arranged it all.”
William was just seven months old in February 2012 when the court ordered him separated from his biological parents.
The Department of Family and Community Services was concerned about domestic violence and substance abuse within the boy’s family, a court heard.
William’s mother, Karlie Tyrrell, was in the audience and knew that her son was being placed under the parental responsibility of a New South Wales government minister.
But when authorities arrived to pick up William at his home that afternoon, the family had gone into hiding with Mrs. Collins, who said she was the “mastermind” behind the disappearance.
William’s adoptive mother accused NSW Police (pictured searching Kendall’s property in 2021) of letting her kidnapper escape while he was busy “chasing” her.
New South Wales Police Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan told a court in 2022 that William’s adoptive mother “knows where William Tyrrell (pictured) is”.
A police strike force called Duncraig was set up to find William and after many failures and wrong turns he was later found in 2012 and the boy was placed with foster parents.
That couple, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, reported them missing in 2014.
William has never been seen since and no one has been charged with the disappearance.
The second disappearance, a decade ago, led to the creation of the Rosann strike force.
Collins said given William’s second disappearance, the NSW government “did not do its job properly” and should not have separated him from his biological family.
She said: “This shouldn’t happen today with children in foster care… I have one son in rehab, another in jail and my family is fed up.”
“I lost my son and I got lost along the way.”
The podcast also spoke with a government official who was there when William was separated from his mother before being placed with his adoptive parents.
She also questions whether taking William away from Mrs. Tyrrell was the right choice.
“We take children … from families all the time,” said the man, who asked to remain anonymous, breaking down into tears. ‘You do it. It’s part of the job.
‘What bothers me is that… we took William away from Karlie to protect him. I can still see myself walking into that damn unit… And there was William, on the floor.
‘And I just think… did we do the right thing? Would he still be alive? Maybe.’
William’s biological grandmother Natalie Collins admitted she had previously hidden the boy (pictured) in 2012 after the court ordered him to be separated from his biological parents.
William was last seen at his adoptive grandmother’s home (pictured) in Kendall on the New South Wales mid north coast.
The man said he still thinks regularly about William Tyrrell. ‘Not on a day-to-day basis, but it does affect me. Because it keeps coming back.’
The investigation into William’s alleged death will resume in November.
A Department of Communities and Justice spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: “No comment will be made in relation to the ongoing forensic investigation into the disappearance and suspected death of William Tyrrell.”
