Detective’s stunning claim that foster mum ‘knows where William Tyrrell is buried’

A senior detective working on the William Tyrrell investigation has delivered the stunning claim that the three-year-old’s foster mother knows where he is buried.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan made the statement to Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday, November 3 where William’s foster mother is facing allegations of giving false or misleading evidence to the New South Wales Crime Commission.

She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

“I’ve formed the view that (the foster mother) knows where William Tyrrell is,” Lonergan told the court.

Defence barrister John Stratton SC rejected the claims before suggesting that police charged William’s foster mother with allegedly lying to the Crime Commission to “pressure her”.

“Our main objective is to find out where William Tyrrell is,” Lonergan replied.

William’s foster mother has denied any involvement or wrongdoing in regard to the toddler’s disappearance and has not been charged in relation to the disappearance.

The hearing remains ongoing.

William vanished from his foster grandmother’s house in New South Wales on September 12, 2014. He had been playing in the front yard of the property in Kendall, and was wearing a Spider-Man suit at the time of his disappearance.

Despite extensive investigations, the three-year-old has never been found.

In November 2021, Detectives from Strike Force Rosann announced renewed search efforts to find William, involving hundreds of police officers, in three specific locations in the Kendall area.

At the time, Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett said police were “very hopeful” that they could bring the “matter to some form of conclusion” after new evidence was obtained during the ongoing investigation.

“This activity is in response to evidence we’ve obtained in the course of the investigation, it’s not speculative in any way,” he said.

“We are acting on behalf of the Coroner and in conjunction with the coronial orders, she will be kept updated with regard to our progress.”

The renewed search effort saw police scour the Kendall property where William went missing, dig up the garden below the second-floor balcony, and sift through dirt for any clues as to the boy’s disappearance. Cadaver dogs were also spotted being taken around the area while forensic teams sprayed the chemical luminol around the property to highlight any traces of blood that may have been present.

Authorities also collected and photographed several pieces of fabric, which were taken away for further forensic testing. Detectives also revealed that they had seized a Mazda on November 9, 2021 to undergo “extensive forensic examinations and analysis”.

Police have seized a car from a home in Gymea as part of ongoing investigations into the 2014 disappearance of William Tyrrellhttps://t.co/x6ai4dIrje pic.twitter.com/RSdbm9XuCH

— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) November 16, 2021

A $1 million reward for information that leads to the recovery of William Tyrrell, and the circumstances regarding his disappearance, still stands