On the five-year anniversary of William Tyrrell’s disappearance, his grief-stricken family have broken their silence on Australia’s most famous missing child case.
William, aged 3, vanished from his foster grandmother’s property in Kendall, NSW, on September 12, 2014, while dressed in his now-iconic Spider-Man outfit. His foster mother’s last memory of the toddler was him imitating a tiger’s roar as he dashed around the house.
Moments after an infectious giggle and a little “roaaaar!”, William simply vanished.
William’s foster mum, who can’t be named for legal reasons, told police at the time that he was “there one minute, and gone the next.”
“He was just playing around here, we heard him and then we heard nothing,” she said during the ill-fated triple-zero call.
“We heard him roaring around the garden. Then I thought, ‘Oh, I haven’t heard him, I better go check on him.’ And I couldn’t find him.”
Her call sparked the country’s biggest manhunt, as detectives combed the property, the surrounding state forest and homes around the local area.
But after five days of exhaustive searching, William could not be found.
And five years on, the little boy in the Spider-Man outfit is desperately missed by his biological and foster families.
“The heartbreak continues. William’s loved ones are emotionally struggling with it all,” a spokesperson for the Tyrrell family told New Idea.
This story is from the September 16, 2019 edition of New Idea.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 16, 2019 edition of New Idea.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Kate Ritchie's CAR CRASH CHAOS!
HER SHOCK BINGLE CAUSES DRAMA ON A SYDNEY STREET
Nicole & Dickie WE'LL BE FRIENDS FOR ANOTHER 41 YEARS!
INSIDE THE AUSSIE PAIR'S SECRET RELATIONSHIP
BUB NO.2 FOR SAM FROST
Sam Frost and her fiancé, Jordie Hansen, have confirmed they are expecting their second child.
DINE-IN Thai
TREAT YOUR GUESTS TO THE FRAGRANT FLAVOURS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
Ronan Keating: IN OZ FOR VOICE TALKS!
Ronan Keating is not wasting a second of being back in Australia. The Irish singer was spotted enjoying a day at Bondi Beach in Sydney with his family, before jetting to Victoria with his wife, Storm, for last week's Melbourne Cup.
Margot's baby joy 'HE'S A LITTLE PRINCE'
This Barbie is now a mum! Margot Robbie and husband Tom Ackerley have officially welcomed their first child together – a bouncing boy.
Actress Rebecca BREEDS A BROOD!
When it rains it pours! Married couple and former Home and Away co-stars Rebecca Breeds and Luke Mitchell are also pregnant!
Jessica Simpson CELEBRATES SOBER MILESTONE
Jessica Simpson has marked seven years of sobriety with a heartfelt social media post.
KATIE REACHES OUT TO SICK JAMES
Katie Holmes has told her former Dawson's Creek co-star James Van Der Beek she is 'here for him' following the news he has bowel cancer.
Maggie Beer 'THIS WON'T BEAT US'
She's still recovering after a terrifying fall that landed her in hospital, and now Maggie Beer is dealing with another major blow.