1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:05,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, hi, my son is you think it's three and 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:05,680 Speaker 1: a half. 3 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 2: Okay, So how did we get here? 4 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:11,479 Speaker 3: How long has well we've been looking for him now 5 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 3: for that fifteen or twenty minutes, okay, I thought it 6 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 3: could be father, it could be longer. 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 4: It's just playing around here. We heard him and then 8 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 4: we heard nothing. Okay, So what the newest question? 9 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 2: Last week, an inquest into William Tile's disappearance heard the 10 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 2: police have no forensic evidence, no witness evidence, no direct 11 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 2: evidence at all about what happened to him, despite the 12 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 2: police previously saying on the front page of a newspaper 13 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 2: they had a new suspect they believed was responsible for 14 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 2: William's death and disappearance, despite detectives going to this suspect's 15 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 2: house and telling her you'll have to live with it. 16 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:58,600 Speaker 2: We aren't guessing. We know why, we know how, we 17 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 2: know where William is. And despite police saying in court 18 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 2: on oath their theory is that William's foster mother disposed 19 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 2: of his body, we now know they have no evidence 20 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 2: she did this, and the coroner overseeing the inquest has 21 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:21,959 Speaker 2: refused to even call the lead detective, David Laidlaw, as 22 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 2: a witness. So you have to wonder where did all 23 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:28,959 Speaker 2: these accusations start. 24 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, I can see. 25 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 3: I can see where you are, and it's Benner and 26 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,919 Speaker 3: driving Kendle and I've got you nearest the prostrate as. 27 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 4: Being ellen Dale Crescent. It could be I don't know. Okay, 28 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 4: they've been missing since about ten thirty. Yeah, I'd say so. 29 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 5: I listened to the foster mother's phone call, and something something. 30 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 6: Quick for me. 31 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 2: This woman doesn't want to be identified. 32 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 4: Okay, can you describe him? Tommy? 33 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 5: How to maybe that to and a half wearing a 34 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 5: spider man out. I'm listening to this Troop of zero call, 35 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 5: and I've had something similar happen to me. 36 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 2: She's one of the many thousands, if not millions, who've 37 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 2: listened to the Triple zero recording of William's foster mother 38 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:20,360 Speaker 2: reporting him missing since it was made public. 39 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:25,119 Speaker 5: My first child had a horrible accident at home when 40 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 5: she was about nine to ten months of age, and 41 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:30,640 Speaker 5: she sort of pushed on a screen window and I 42 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 5: mustn't have been secured properly or it wasn't safe enough. 43 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 5: She went all the way out and I couldn't catch her. 44 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 2: Like thousands of other people, this woman has gone online 45 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:45,959 Speaker 2: written about the case, sharing her opinions. 46 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 5: But I remember running down the stairs and just screaming, 47 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 5: and I was hysterical, finding her, you know, in the grass, crying, 48 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 5: and I just remember grabbing her and coming back upstairs 49 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 5: to where my phone wasn't calling emergency services, and I 50 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 5: was absolutely hysterical, screaming and begging for someone to help me, 51 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 5: for the ambulance to please come, and and screaming for 52 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 5: help the whole time. 53 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:17,359 Speaker 4: Ye hair, he's got dark sandy colored hair. It's sure. 54 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:20,399 Speaker 1: He's got big brown and green colored eyes. 55 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:24,920 Speaker 5: Thinking back to the foster mother's triple zerr call, she 56 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 5: was calm, She just wasn't fhased. She was able to 57 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 5: answer questions, and she was just cool as a cucumber. 58 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 2: And just like the police, she's become suspicious despite having 59 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 2: no real evidence. 60 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 3: Okay, I'll see you get any shoes on. Do you 61 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 3: know any other distinguishing thanks he has? 62 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 7: Oh, he's got a freckle on the top of his head. 63 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 3: When you put the hair on the left hand side, 64 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 3: you'll see a freckle on probably paid you know. 65 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 5: Did he have any identifying features? Oh, well, he had 66 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 5: a freckle, and you know, was he wearing shoes? Yeah, 67 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 5: you don't do that when you're in a crisis because 68 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 5: you don't have that presence of mind. 69 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 2: So is it fair to say that you started to 70 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 2: suspect the foster mum because in that triple zero call, 71 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:28,679 Speaker 2: her grief wasn't the same as your grief. Yeah, today, 72 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 2: ten years on from that phone call reporting William missing, 73 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 2: that's really all we do have suspicion, people pointing fingers, 74 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 2: but no evidence. And you have to ask why is that? 75 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,679 Speaker 2: Why after ten years of the most high profile police 76 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 2: investigation in the country, is there still no direct evidence 77 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 2: of what happened to William? How was that allowed to happen? 78 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 2: And is the person who really responsible for William's disappearance 79 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:08,839 Speaker 2: still walking around today? To find those answers, We're going 80 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 2: back to the moment of this triple zero calls and 81 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 2: the police investigation that followed. We're going to look at 82 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 2: what was done, what was not done, what was missed, 83 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:25,719 Speaker 2: and how that planted suspicions which grew forcing their way 84 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 2: into every part of the investigation, leading it in crazy, twisted, 85 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:35,160 Speaker 2: damaging directions, threatening to strangle it completely. 86 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 4: I haven't heard him a bit to go. 87 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:43,239 Speaker 3: All right, we'll please to see you at Minnery driving 88 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 3: kennel or to get them a message to all the 89 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 3: people look out for him as well. 90 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 4: Okay than all, by bye bye. 91 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:58,279 Speaker 2: I'm Dan Box and this is Witness William Tyrrell, Episode six, 92 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:14,720 Speaker 2: Missing Evidence. The morning of William's disappearance, the twelfth of 93 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 2: September twenty fourteen, starts off quiet. He's the first to 94 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 2: wake up, then his foster father, his sister, and his 95 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:28,799 Speaker 2: foster mother, who would later remember seeing two cars parked 96 00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 2: on the road outside the house, one white, one gray, 97 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 2: Despite saying in that triple zero call she didn't see 98 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 2: anything suspicious at the time, there. 99 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 3: Wasn't anyonecious in the area. 100 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 7: No. 101 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 2: Later in the morning, when the kids have got up, 102 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:49,279 Speaker 2: had breakfast and are playing with their bikes outside the house, 103 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 2: William's foster mother remembers seeing a third car, a gray 104 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 2: or green sedan, turn into the driveway of the next 105 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 2: door house, reverse out and drive back down the road. 106 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 2: She says, the drivers in his fifties maybe sixties, and 107 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 2: it's odd. She thinks. Benirun Drive, where the family is 108 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 2: staying for the weekend, is a dead end road outside 109 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:19,680 Speaker 2: a small town called Kendall, surrounded by forest and empty farmland. 110 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 2: You just don't get that many cars, particularly ones where 111 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 2: you don't recognize the driver. Later another witness will also 112 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 2: describe seeing a white car that morning, a Holden, being 113 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 2: driven by a man on nearby roads, but that only 114 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:43,640 Speaker 2: comes to light years later during the police investigation that 115 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 2: will follow after William disappears. At some point that morning, 116 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 2: the twelfth of September, a man called Tony Jones leaves 117 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 2: his house in Warhope, which is about twenty minute drive 118 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 2: from where William would go missing. Tony tells his wife Debbie, 119 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 2: he's going scrapping, looking for scrap metal in the state forest, 120 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 2: and that their son is going with him. Only Tony's 121 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 2: son will later say that he wasn't with his father. 122 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:21,320 Speaker 2: When Tony's asked about this at the inquest into William's disappearance, 123 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 2: he says, quote, I have no recollections, none whatsoever, and 124 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 2: I'll be honest. If I wasn't scrapping, I was probably 125 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 2: sleeping with Debbie's friend next door. Another witness will also 126 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 2: come forward saying that they see Tony sitting in a 127 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:44,079 Speaker 2: white Toyota, although he denies this when the police ask 128 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 2: questions because weeks after William is reported missing, Tony Jones 129 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 2: will be jailed of unrelated child sex offenses, although there's 130 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 2: no evidence today he was involved in William's disappearance. 131 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 6: Why I run away from the camera, Johns? Go away? 132 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 8: Mate? 133 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 6: Why did you run away from the camera? Why did 134 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:09,600 Speaker 6: you write camera? What should I camera? Will you enkindle 135 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 6: that day? William to now? 136 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 4: I was not? 137 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 6: Now go away, mister Johns? 138 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:15,200 Speaker 9: Can you explain your car? 139 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:15,680 Speaker 4: Look? 140 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 5: I hated your questions my gown. 141 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:28,679 Speaker 2: Why Around nine am on the morning William is reported missing, 142 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 2: his foster mother wants to do some washing and realizes 143 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 2: the machine is broken. They're staying at her mum's house 144 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 2: for the weekend. A local repairman's been asked to fix it. 145 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 2: By chance Tony Jones and that local White Goods repairman 146 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,840 Speaker 2: used to be neighbours years ago in another town, a 147 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:53,320 Speaker 2: long way from where William goes missing. His foster mum 148 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:56,680 Speaker 2: calls the repairman, but he doesn't answer. She leaves a 149 00:09:56,720 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 2: message asking him to come and fix the washing masie. 150 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 2: Another local tradesman, Jeff Owen, calls the homes soon after 151 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:11,439 Speaker 2: to talk about some work that needs doing on the deck, 152 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:15,199 Speaker 2: Jeff is good mates with a man named Frank Abbott. 153 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 2: Frank has previously been found not guilty of murder. A 154 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:25,160 Speaker 2: year after William's disappearance, Frank moves into a caravan on 155 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 2: Jeff's property, and at that time he's on bay Off 156 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:34,560 Speaker 2: Child's sex abuse charges. And by chance, Frank Abbott is 157 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:39,200 Speaker 2: also connected to Tony Jones. Frank's son in law is 158 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:42,680 Speaker 2: Tony's neighbour. And I promise you we'll get into all 159 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:46,880 Speaker 2: of that later in this series, but for now we're 160 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:49,599 Speaker 2: getting closer to the moment on the twelfth of September 161 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:55,199 Speaker 2: twenty fourteen, when William is reported missing, after which different 162 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 2: people will look again at those phone calls with different 163 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:02,200 Speaker 2: tradesmen and the cars see that morning and start asking 164 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:07,840 Speaker 2: if they might be important, particularly after another local, a 165 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 2: man called Ron Chapman, will tell police he saw a 166 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:16,960 Speaker 2: car driving fast through Kendle just a few minutes before 167 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,319 Speaker 2: William's foster mum makes her triple zero corn. 168 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:30,760 Speaker 10: At the time, I didn't know what makes the now 169 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:34,679 Speaker 10: through Adelai and Cruiser and our models from the box 170 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 10: type vehicle of Beijan color all right. 171 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 2: Then, Ron says the car was screaming around the corner, 172 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:50,119 Speaker 2: driven by a woman in her late twenties or thirties, 173 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:54,079 Speaker 2: and he says she's plump, not very tall, with blonde 174 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 2: hair tied in a bun on top of her head. 175 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:00,520 Speaker 2: Ron says he sees a boy in the back seat 176 00:12:00,559 --> 00:12:03,800 Speaker 2: of the car, standing up with his hands on the window. 177 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:09,079 Speaker 2: The boys about three or maybe four, with light blondie 178 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 2: brownie hair, wearing a red and blue outfit like the 179 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:19,080 Speaker 2: Spider Man suit William is wearing this morning. Ron tells 180 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 2: police he sees another car coming after. 181 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:25,960 Speaker 4: Okay, well, now you talked about. 182 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 2: This time a blue forward sedan really really accelerating. 183 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 11: How long was it between the first vehicle and the 184 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:36,120 Speaker 11: second vehicle? 185 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:40,680 Speaker 10: What have I only heard a couple of seconds, I 186 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:44,000 Speaker 10: should imagine because the concern it was a man in 187 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:51,160 Speaker 10: the vehicle, I didn't get a clear enough look to 188 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:57,320 Speaker 10: anyone come up hearing what even they looked like. 189 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 2: You'd think the police would want to follow up on 190 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 2: Ron's sighting two cars driving fast away from Benirun Drive, 191 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:11,840 Speaker 2: one driven by a man, the other by a woman 192 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 2: with a boy standing up on the back seat, matching 193 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:19,839 Speaker 2: William's description even down to the red and blue suit. 194 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:25,880 Speaker 2: William is wearing, but Ron's evidence it kind of goes 195 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:31,760 Speaker 2: missing for a few years, partly because Ron himself doesn't 196 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:36,640 Speaker 2: go to the police, at least at first. Instead, when 197 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:40,360 Speaker 2: Ron sees the news reports about William going missing, he 198 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 2: waits for the police to knock on his door, but 199 00:13:43,559 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 2: they don't do that. Ron's sister tells him he should 200 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:51,080 Speaker 2: contact the cops, but Ron doesn't do it directly. Instead, 201 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:54,400 Speaker 2: he gets in touch with another local woman, saying he 202 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:56,920 Speaker 2: wants to speak to her sister in law, who is 203 00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:01,079 Speaker 2: the local cop. So a detective doesn't speak to Ron 204 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:06,960 Speaker 2: until March twenty fifteen, six months after William goes missing, 205 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:12,480 Speaker 2: and the police don't interview Ron until the August, another 206 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 2: five months later. They don't record this until April twenty seventeen. 207 00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:22,600 Speaker 3: The time is now four twenty seven pm and the 208 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:27,240 Speaker 3: ringactmant at the premises to mister Ron Chapman is now complete. 209 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 2: At one point in his conversations with police, Ron says 210 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 2: he got such a shock when he saw the news 211 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 2: reports about William going missing that he wondered for a 212 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:43,320 Speaker 2: moment if he dreamt seeing the cars. When asked directly 213 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 2: about this, he says, I didn't dream it. No, And 214 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 2: when I speak to him for this podcast, he says 215 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 2: the same thing. Ron's in his mid eighties now, but 216 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:58,080 Speaker 2: sounded clear and confident. When I speak to him, he 217 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 2: doesn't want to do an interview, tells me, but he 218 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:09,920 Speaker 2: does tell me, I know what I saw. That's the 219 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:14,280 Speaker 2: thing with police investigations. You don't know what you don't 220 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 2: know until you realize that the thing you're missing turns 221 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 2: out to be important. And all of this evidence about 222 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:26,720 Speaker 2: cars and people whose movements can't be accounted for or 223 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 2: had reason to contact the house where William was staying, 224 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:35,560 Speaker 2: it might have meant something if police had known about 225 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:41,000 Speaker 2: it at the time, but they didn't. Some of it 226 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:44,520 Speaker 2: isn't found out until years later, which is a problem 227 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:47,520 Speaker 2: if you're trying to find out what's happened to a 228 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 2: missing child. Back at the house where William goes missing, 229 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 2: his foster mother calls Triple zero at ten fifty six 230 00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 2: that morning, and the first police officer arrives in about 231 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:04,280 Speaker 2: ten minutes, which is impressively fast. He goes through the house, 232 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:08,200 Speaker 2: opening cupboards, looking under beds, though he doesn't go into 233 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:11,000 Speaker 2: the roof space or open the door to the garage. 234 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:15,800 Speaker 2: Soon after, another uniformed cop arrives and stays in the 235 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:20,880 Speaker 2: house while the first starts searching outside it, looking in yards, 236 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,400 Speaker 2: the nearby forest, talking to neighbors. He thinks they need 237 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 2: to check the drains as a priority in case William 238 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:32,000 Speaker 2: has somehow fallen into one, and William's foster mum asks 239 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:35,320 Speaker 2: at least three times if she should call the government 240 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 2: department overseeing his foster care to let them know what's happened. 241 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:43,560 Speaker 2: The police say, no, not yet, Let's see if we 242 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:48,880 Speaker 2: can find him. More cops arrive within minutes, including an inspector, 243 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:53,240 Speaker 2: who establishes a command post starts keeping written logs of 244 00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:58,080 Speaker 2: what's happening. He requests the state Emergency Service search all 245 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 2: the water drains, and that the police send a specially 246 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:06,240 Speaker 2: qualified search coordinator and a helicopter, and the rescue squad, 247 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:10,440 Speaker 2: the trail bike Unit, the mounted unit, and the police 248 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:16,360 Speaker 2: media unit send out an alert, after which everything changes. 249 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:23,520 Speaker 8: I thought we'd find him. I honestly thought we'd find him. 250 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:26,080 Speaker 12: I thought he would have been found really quickly. 251 00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:30,120 Speaker 2: News of William's disappearance spreads fast. 252 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,920 Speaker 6: I just heard from someone at school bringing in people. 253 00:17:34,359 --> 00:17:37,679 Speaker 6: There was massive social media posts about. 254 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,679 Speaker 2: Everyone volunteers in their hundreds. 255 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:42,960 Speaker 12: So then I went home and got my torch and 256 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 12: dressed up and left my kids at home and went 257 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:45,800 Speaker 12: looking for him. 258 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:47,920 Speaker 2: The police bringing divers. 259 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 8: My daughter, who was at twelve at the time, she 260 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:54,640 Speaker 8: said to me, Mum, I want to come. 261 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,680 Speaker 2: All these people descend on the dead end road where 262 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:00,280 Speaker 2: William was reported. 263 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,200 Speaker 6: And I was like, okay, well, let's go. 264 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:08,680 Speaker 2: People start searching backyards, dams, the waterways. 265 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:12,080 Speaker 12: There were hundreds of cars there, There were hundreds of people. 266 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:14,840 Speaker 12: There seemed to be people going in different directions in 267 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 12: different places, with different groups. 268 00:18:17,119 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 4: And. 269 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:20,720 Speaker 6: To be honest, it was bedlam. 270 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 12: People had come with motorbikes. People had come with all 271 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 12: their own equipment. 272 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:26,160 Speaker 6: People camped down there. 273 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:28,920 Speaker 12: I recognized quite a few locals, but there's lots of 274 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 12: people there that I didn't recognize. 275 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 8: Everyone got told to just go go for a walk, 276 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:34,840 Speaker 8: go look for it. 277 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:38,160 Speaker 12: People had come from a lot of different places. 278 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 6: There was just people wandering around, walking through scrub. 279 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:46,080 Speaker 2: This is one of many line searches underway. Afternoon turned 280 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:50,080 Speaker 2: into evening that first night. The searchers keep on looking 281 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 2: by torch light. 282 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:55,360 Speaker 8: Volunteers were exhausted after putting in such long days. 283 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:58,360 Speaker 2: Day after day, the search continues. 284 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 13: The sees, the surf clubs, the fire. 285 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 8: Brigade, the lifeguards, the fieries. 286 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:08,439 Speaker 12: All resources and means available are being used on the 287 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:09,800 Speaker 12: ground and in the air. 288 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:13,919 Speaker 2: William's foster father is among them. Up at dawn the 289 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:16,680 Speaker 2: next morning and out to walking through the bush. 290 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 8: We did have the foster father come down and he 291 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:26,439 Speaker 8: kind of just sort of started sobbing, and I said, oh, 292 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:28,159 Speaker 8: it's all right, it's all right, and he goes, no, 293 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:30,520 Speaker 8: it's no. I just want to thank you. I said, 294 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,320 Speaker 8: don't think us. We're We're just here looking for the 295 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:33,920 Speaker 8: little boy. 296 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:37,640 Speaker 2: Until the days start to fall into a pattern. 297 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 12: Sometimes it was hopeful and then some afternoons you could 298 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:44,480 Speaker 12: see the exhaustion, but no one stops. 299 00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:48,600 Speaker 8: Fifty people are working shoulder to shoulder to check every 300 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:50,639 Speaker 8: squear meter close to the home. 301 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 6: Like it was just total chaos. 302 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:05,640 Speaker 2: Over the next fortnight. Police records so the search will 303 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:10,880 Speaker 2: cover about eighteen square kilometers, which I think is about 304 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:14,920 Speaker 2: two and a half thousand football pitches. A police press 305 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:20,200 Speaker 2: release says it's fifty square kilometers, so around seven thousand 306 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:29,919 Speaker 2: football pitches, which is incredibly impressive. Except they missed things. 307 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:34,720 Speaker 9: I witness a gradular confusion from Bursley Police ANDBSS. 308 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:38,600 Speaker 2: This man is visiting a relative in Benerum Drive the 309 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:42,640 Speaker 2: same morning William is reported missing. He says the police 310 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,240 Speaker 2: and sees are doing a great job, no doubt, but 311 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 2: there are no cordons put in place on the road 312 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:51,480 Speaker 2: to stop cars. 313 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 9: No accordingly off of the street at all. While the 314 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:57,560 Speaker 9: cars were driving up and down the street. 315 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:00,720 Speaker 2: Meaning anyone can come or go in a vvehicle without 316 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:01,600 Speaker 2: being checked. 317 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:05,280 Speaker 9: There should have been the police at the intersection and 318 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 9: any vehicle that there should have been stopped in question. 319 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:11,280 Speaker 9: That would be a priority for concent. 320 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 2: And that wasn't happening from what you saw. 321 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 9: No, not at all, not for some time. But I 322 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:17,480 Speaker 9: don't even think until the following day it took place 323 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 9: that way because he was still vehicles driving up and down. 324 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:20,680 Speaker 6: For a bit of a show. 325 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:25,640 Speaker 2: He also says some things just don't get searched. 326 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 9: The sees would go walk into a home or driveway 327 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:32,920 Speaker 9: in Both them and the police on the various occasions 328 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:36,960 Speaker 9: through that day did the same thing. However, I would 329 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:39,160 Speaker 9: have mentioned that the fact that there was a caravan 330 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:43,520 Speaker 9: and that caravan was bypassed by both the police and 331 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:48,600 Speaker 9: the sees each time they came into the premises. 332 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:49,800 Speaker 2: So it was never searched. 333 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:53,560 Speaker 9: It was never searched, never asked to be looked at, 334 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 9: and never searched. 335 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:01,000 Speaker 2: The police do a forensic search of the house where 336 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 2: William was reported missing, but not until the next day, 337 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:08,359 Speaker 2: by which time his foster family have stayed in it overnight. 338 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,800 Speaker 2: A neighbour's house directly across the road is not searched 339 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:16,960 Speaker 2: until three days later. The man living there, Paul Savage, 340 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:20,880 Speaker 2: is one of only three adults known to heal William 341 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:25,480 Speaker 2: and his sister playing at the house that morning. Paul 342 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:28,840 Speaker 2: is home alone just before William is reported missing, but 343 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:33,159 Speaker 2: the police find no evidence he was involved. In fact, 344 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 2: far from finding anything, some of the neighbors living on 345 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:41,360 Speaker 2: this road say they have things stolen from their cars 346 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,800 Speaker 2: and their properties during the search, and some of them 347 00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:47,879 Speaker 2: are still angry. Ten years later. 348 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 14: A straight was full of cars from one end of 349 00:22:53,119 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 14: the other. And we've got hundreds, if not thousands, of 350 00:22:57,520 --> 00:22:59,760 Speaker 14: people calling me in their homes. 351 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 2: And did it look like it was organized? 352 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:07,119 Speaker 13: Far from organized. 353 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:11,920 Speaker 14: A bunch of pierced idiots ramble and orion the. 354 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:14,560 Speaker 6: Straight, And what were they doing. 355 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:21,919 Speaker 14: Walking Ariane, yelling it at William and just having a 356 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,080 Speaker 14: general check out of everyone's homes and property. 357 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:30,160 Speaker 2: And was there any attempt that you could see by 358 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 2: the police to stop them going too certain areas not 359 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 2: in no noise? And what did you think when you 360 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:37,199 Speaker 2: saw that? 361 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:43,000 Speaker 14: I thought this was a fucking debarcle. This is just wrong. 362 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:50,240 Speaker 2: One thing everyone can agree on is the forest on 363 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:53,879 Speaker 2: either side of Benerin Drive is too thick for a 364 00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:57,359 Speaker 2: little boy to wander off in. What's it like trying 365 00:23:57,359 --> 00:23:59,480 Speaker 2: to search through that bush at the time? 366 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:08,120 Speaker 15: Oh horrendous because you've got lin tana an even sing Litana? 367 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:08,919 Speaker 2: Would you show me? 368 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:09,480 Speaker 5: Yeah? 369 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:24,760 Speaker 2: Well it's what this sort of the thin Yeah, like 370 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:25,480 Speaker 2: a thin tree. 371 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 15: Yeah, that's tana. 372 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:28,600 Speaker 2: So what's the problem with lantana? When you're trying to 373 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:32,160 Speaker 2: search you can get shredded? 374 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:33,440 Speaker 16: Oh really? 375 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:37,320 Speaker 15: Yeah, it's a stem itself. It got foreming points. 376 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 6: On it, yeah, pins on it. 377 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:41,840 Speaker 15: If you get entangled in it, you can end up 378 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:45,720 Speaker 15: with cats and you can get treaded. I don't know 379 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 15: how invented it, but it's lias. 380 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:50,560 Speaker 2: And you're saying that we couldn't get through it with 381 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:53,000 Speaker 2: boots and you've got I'll have. 382 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,919 Speaker 15: To get me work boots on or the face boots 383 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:58,880 Speaker 15: to walk in me. I'm still not guidy it for it. 384 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:00,840 Speaker 2: I don't think a three old boy would have got 385 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:04,159 Speaker 2: through the bush then, no, no. 386 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:11,080 Speaker 15: He would pan. I'd say it would be cruel and 387 00:25:11,119 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 15: of course screaming. 388 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:14,879 Speaker 9: Hm. 389 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:19,080 Speaker 15: Did you see everywhere around it? 390 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:28,680 Speaker 2: The vast weeks long police search finds nothing worse than 391 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:34,200 Speaker 2: that the search itself potentially destroys forensic evidence. 392 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:38,360 Speaker 11: Driving up it was, I guess you kind of went, wow, 393 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:40,400 Speaker 11: look at all these people that are out looking. Isn't 394 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:44,760 Speaker 11: that fantastic? But then upon reflection, you go, well, that's uh, 395 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:50,240 Speaker 11: destroying any you know, possibly destroying any any evidence that 396 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:52,520 Speaker 11: might be around if something afarious has happened. 397 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:57,000 Speaker 2: This woman also visits Benaruin Drive during the early days 398 00:25:57,040 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 2: of the police search. 399 00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 11: So there were people all up and down Banarun Drive. 400 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:04,520 Speaker 11: I was amazed at how many people. And then when 401 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:06,720 Speaker 11: I got up to the house just see amount of people. 402 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:09,959 Speaker 11: I couldn't believe it that people all over the front lawn. 403 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:14,080 Speaker 11: There were people on horseback riding around on the bottom 404 00:26:14,119 --> 00:26:17,119 Speaker 11: of the front lawn. So you know, even in that 405 00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:18,919 Speaker 11: area where they say, will he might have run down 406 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:20,960 Speaker 11: to the lawn and met someone on the road or 407 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 11: ended up on the road like there were. I don't 408 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:25,399 Speaker 11: know how they'd be able to find anything. 409 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:27,760 Speaker 2: And when you say I don't think they would be 410 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 2: able to find anything, you're talking about how. 411 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:34,680 Speaker 11: Can you find something when you've got horses trampling over 412 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:39,160 Speaker 11: a front lawn and people walking all up and down 413 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:42,400 Speaker 11: the front lawn and on the curb side and out 414 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:45,280 Speaker 11: the front of the house, and just there was. It's 415 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:47,639 Speaker 11: not to criticize the police because I guess at that 416 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:51,040 Speaker 11: time they felt they were looking for a missing boy, 417 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:56,439 Speaker 11: but there was zero control over the site that he 418 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:57,119 Speaker 11: went missing. 419 00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:05,120 Speaker 2: This, then, is the first tragic mistake in the police investigation. 420 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 2: Police records say at the time of this initial search, 421 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:13,840 Speaker 2: there is no crime scene established. The search was not 422 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:17,080 Speaker 2: conducted with the view that there may have been deliberate 423 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,560 Speaker 2: human intervention, nor was it done with the view of 424 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 2: recovering forensic evidence. The focus was on finding William. But 425 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:32,200 Speaker 2: once the search had failed to find William, without forensic evidence, 426 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:36,199 Speaker 2: the police are playing catch up, not knowing what it 427 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:40,080 Speaker 2: is that they are missing, which is tragic because the 428 00:27:40,119 --> 00:27:45,080 Speaker 2: opportunity was there to collect that evidence. Less than four 429 00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 2: hours after William's foster mother makes that triple zero call, 430 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:53,440 Speaker 2: detectives arrive, whose job it is to investigate what happened, 431 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:58,600 Speaker 2: and like the searchers, they try their hearts out. The 432 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 2: sheer scale of the investigation that will follow is stunning. 433 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:10,159 Speaker 2: William's birth and foster families are spoken to, who knew, what, 434 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:15,000 Speaker 2: where were they? Those accounts are tested, evidence gathered, and 435 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:17,840 Speaker 2: at the same time, the police are spreading out. In 436 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,280 Speaker 2: the coming days and weeks and years, the police will 437 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:25,400 Speaker 2: speak to everyone who lives on Benirun Drive, some more 438 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:29,120 Speaker 2: than once. In nearby Kendall. They will knock on doors, 439 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:34,640 Speaker 2: post appeals for information through letterboxes, and ultimately interview over 440 00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:39,080 Speaker 2: two hundred and sixty different people. The police will also 441 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:44,680 Speaker 2: canvas hotels, motels, and caravan parks within a ten kilometer radius. 442 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:48,760 Speaker 2: A week after William is reported missing, they will stop 443 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 2: every vehicle traveling along the road that leads to Benurune Drive, 444 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 2: recording details of the driver and passengers. The police will 445 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:02,560 Speaker 2: obtain CCTV from two local businesses, as well as one 446 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:08,080 Speaker 2: hundred and sixty nine CCTV cameras from outside Kendle they'll 447 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:12,240 Speaker 2: examine data from people's phones, from traffic cameras and mobile 448 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:18,200 Speaker 2: cell towers. They will receive thousands, literally thousands of reports 449 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:22,040 Speaker 2: from people who will say they have seen William from 450 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:26,760 Speaker 2: right across the country. At one point, William's foster parents 451 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 2: will be shown a photo of a man and a 452 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:32,520 Speaker 2: boy seen on a train and oh, my gosh, it 453 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 2: looks like William. The police will track that man down, 454 00:29:36,280 --> 00:29:40,000 Speaker 2: only to find the boy is his son. The police 455 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:44,040 Speaker 2: will also be inundated with information from people claiming to 456 00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:47,320 Speaker 2: be clairvoyance who can speak to the dead, or saying 457 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:51,160 Speaker 2: information has come to them through dreams or visions, and 458 00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:55,320 Speaker 2: it's easy to imagine even the most organized police force 459 00:29:55,960 --> 00:30:01,800 Speaker 2: drowning in paperwork. And even with the huge flood of information, 460 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:07,560 Speaker 2: there are still things that are missing. There's no CCTV 461 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:11,320 Speaker 2: camera that records the cars going in or out of 462 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:15,520 Speaker 2: Benirun Drive, and it's not until the day after William 463 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:20,960 Speaker 2: disappears that police check the CCTV from the Kendall Tennis Club, 464 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:25,560 Speaker 2: which films cars going in and out of Kendall, But 465 00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:29,760 Speaker 2: that camera only shows vehicles from the side, not their 466 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:35,000 Speaker 2: registration plates, making it difficult to identify them, and while 467 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,560 Speaker 2: it covers the main road in and out of Kendall, 468 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,760 Speaker 2: there are several other roads where the cars aren't recorded. 469 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 2: Very early on in the investigation, the local detectives start 470 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:53,520 Speaker 2: speaking to their counterparts in the specialized sex Crime Squad 471 00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:58,480 Speaker 2: and Homicide Squad, both based in Sydney. Sex crimes detectives 472 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:03,240 Speaker 2: visit Kendall within days William's disappearance. If their involvement so 473 00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:06,680 Speaker 2: early on surprises you, that's a reflection of the fact 474 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 2: that it is a really dark world sometimes and the 475 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:14,280 Speaker 2: police have often seen first hand what lives in those 476 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:20,000 Speaker 2: darker shadows. During their investigation, the police will identify people 477 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:23,440 Speaker 2: listed on the Child Protection Register on the mid North 478 00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:27,560 Speaker 2: Coast of New South Wales, meaning those people who have 479 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:31,840 Speaker 2: been sentenced for child sex offenses or the kidnap, manslaughter 480 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:36,080 Speaker 2: or murder of a child. The cops will concentrate their 481 00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:40,120 Speaker 2: inquiries on those living within a thirty kilometer radius of 482 00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:45,440 Speaker 2: where William was reported missing, identifying dozens and speaking to 483 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:49,400 Speaker 2: them all. Police records show there was nothing to suggest 484 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:52,640 Speaker 2: any of those people on the child Protection Register had 485 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 2: any knowledge or involvement in William's disappearance, but detectives keep 486 00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:00,880 Speaker 2: a record of their names on what becomes known as 487 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:05,200 Speaker 2: the Persons of Interest List. It's basically a list of 488 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,760 Speaker 2: people who require investigation to rule them in or out. 489 00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:13,960 Speaker 2: Almost everyone, or maybe everyone, on the list will turn 490 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:17,680 Speaker 2: out to have nothing to do with William's disappearance, but 491 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:21,160 Speaker 2: the police still have to work through the names to 492 00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 2: be certain. Once someone's identified as a person of interest, 493 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:28,880 Speaker 2: the police look for any information about them on the 494 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:35,160 Speaker 2: CoP's central computer system, like details of criminal history, intelligence reports, 495 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:38,640 Speaker 2: whether they're on the Child Protection Register and any known 496 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:43,120 Speaker 2: personal details. That's all written up in an information report 497 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:47,600 Speaker 2: and put on another police database called Eagle Eye. It's 498 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:53,480 Speaker 2: also put into the Investigations Intelligence Collection Plan and background 499 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:56,920 Speaker 2: checks on all of these people are carried out. For 500 00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:01,200 Speaker 2: some detectives will seek out law enforcement records from other 501 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:07,520 Speaker 2: states across Australia, telecommunication records, financial records, which are all 502 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:10,880 Speaker 2: analyzed to see if the person of interest has any 503 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:14,800 Speaker 2: links to William Tyrell, his family, or the place where 504 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:20,080 Speaker 2: William was reported missing. In time, a forensic psychologist will 505 00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:23,520 Speaker 2: be brought in to consult with the detectives. The police 506 00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:26,400 Speaker 2: looking at whether each of their persons of interest has 507 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:31,760 Speaker 2: the motive opportunity and capability to do something to William. 508 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:35,120 Speaker 2: They then divide the list of people up into low, 509 00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:38,920 Speaker 2: medium and high risk, with all the high risk persons 510 00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:44,040 Speaker 2: of interest targeted for further investigation and individual briefs of 511 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:48,640 Speaker 2: evidence about them compiled, explaining why they came under suspicion, 512 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 2: what investigations have been carried out, and any evidence both 513 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:56,280 Speaker 2: for and against them, all of which will later be 514 00:33:56,360 --> 00:33:59,920 Speaker 2: sent to a coroner overseeing an inquest into what happened 515 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:05,080 Speaker 2: to William. What I'm saying is it's a lot of work, 516 00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:09,480 Speaker 2: a lot to manage. In time, the police will have 517 00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:17,520 Speaker 2: over one thousand persons of interest. Four days after Williams 518 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:21,520 Speaker 2: reported missing, the police announce a dedicated strike force will 519 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:25,000 Speaker 2: investigate what happened to him. It's made up of three 520 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:29,280 Speaker 2: officers from the Homicide Squad, one from the Unsolved Homicide Team, 521 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:33,719 Speaker 2: two from Sex Crimes, one from the Robbery Squad, and 522 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:38,040 Speaker 2: two from the local police command. But there is some confusion, 523 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:41,560 Speaker 2: at least for me looking in from the outside as 524 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:46,440 Speaker 2: a reporter covering William's disappearance at the time, over who's 525 00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:47,080 Speaker 2: in charge? 526 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:50,360 Speaker 5: Sorry, spook, I didn't get. 527 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:57,040 Speaker 6: Super Thank you. 528 00:34:57,440 --> 00:35:02,320 Speaker 2: This is the local Area Commander, Intendent Paul Filon, speaking 529 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:05,800 Speaker 2: at press conference a year after Williams reported missing. 530 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:10,160 Speaker 7: The investigation has continued. As has been said many times, 531 00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:13,239 Speaker 7: there is a wealth of information and intelligence that has 532 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:16,000 Speaker 7: come through and it has to be followed up. And 533 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:19,680 Speaker 7: at this point in time, we are no closer to 534 00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:20,480 Speaker 7: saying where. 535 00:35:20,239 --> 00:35:24,360 Speaker 2: We amuse, which is not the message the homicide Squad 536 00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:27,400 Speaker 2: want people to be given. They're put in charge of 537 00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:31,319 Speaker 2: the investigation six days after Williams reported missing, according to 538 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:36,240 Speaker 2: police records, and they don't want people going around saying 539 00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:40,000 Speaker 2: they're no closer to solving the case. But Paul Fion, 540 00:35:40,239 --> 00:35:44,000 Speaker 2: the local police commander, he keeps appearing in the media. 541 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:47,239 Speaker 7: You would always like to have an early result of 542 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:47,759 Speaker 7: any matter. 543 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:50,480 Speaker 4: We just have to be commuted to it. 544 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:53,839 Speaker 7: And the strike force is very communal to following up 545 00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:55,280 Speaker 7: every single piece of information. 546 00:35:56,760 --> 00:36:00,200 Speaker 2: The strike force is committed. They set up a dedicate 547 00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:04,440 Speaker 2: in a local police station. But as a reporter covering 548 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:08,560 Speaker 2: the investigation, I hear odd things like how they get 549 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,320 Speaker 2: told to move out of the room when the local 550 00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:14,200 Speaker 2: cops went to have a meeting, and so they. 551 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:17,239 Speaker 7: Are trying to locate what happened to a young child 552 00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:22,000 Speaker 7: who was playing with his sister, grandmother and mother in 553 00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:24,520 Speaker 7: what you would think is the most safe environment. 554 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:30,880 Speaker 2: That confusion is compounded by the fact police are actually 555 00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:35,600 Speaker 2: misleading the public. Listen again to what Paul Fion says 556 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:36,840 Speaker 2: about William's family. 557 00:36:37,080 --> 00:36:41,120 Speaker 7: A young child who was playing with his sister, grandmother 558 00:36:41,360 --> 00:36:41,759 Speaker 7: and mother. 559 00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:47,440 Speaker 2: William wasn't with his grandmother and mother. He was with 560 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:52,439 Speaker 2: his foster grandmother and foster mother. In those first few 561 00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:56,880 Speaker 2: days and weeks following his disappearance, we reporters aren't allowed 562 00:36:56,920 --> 00:37:00,960 Speaker 2: to say William is a foster child. The state government 563 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:05,040 Speaker 2: department responsible for William's care tell us that the law 564 00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:09,200 Speaker 2: actually prevents us from doing so. It puts out written 565 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:13,680 Speaker 2: warnings to the media talking about legal action and penalties 566 00:37:13,719 --> 00:37:17,839 Speaker 2: of up to two years in prison. Years later, this 567 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:21,360 Speaker 2: official silence will be challenged in court and a judge 568 00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:25,480 Speaker 2: will say the department's use of the law is misconceived. 569 00:37:26,040 --> 00:37:29,240 Speaker 2: But at the time, no one talks in public about 570 00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:34,000 Speaker 2: William being a foster child, and instead everyone calls William's 571 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:40,319 Speaker 2: foster parents simply his parents, meaning William's biological family, do 572 00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:43,720 Speaker 2: not get a mention in anything that's said in public, 573 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:48,920 Speaker 2: and even then the state government insists that the same 574 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:53,640 Speaker 2: laws mean William's foster parents cannot be pictured or named 575 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:57,400 Speaker 2: or speak in public, meaning they do not get to 576 00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:02,080 Speaker 2: make a public appeal for infant. You know the kind 577 00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:04,960 Speaker 2: of thing you see in news reports and TV shows 578 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:09,080 Speaker 2: about tragic cases where the grieving families say, please, if 579 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:14,000 Speaker 2: you know anything, come forward. But the thing about those 580 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:20,200 Speaker 2: public appeals is they work. People do come forward sometimes, 581 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:24,560 Speaker 2: but that is not allowed to happen in William's case, 582 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:27,600 Speaker 2: so we will never know if it might have made 583 00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:32,120 Speaker 2: a difference. And just like with the failure to establish 584 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:35,959 Speaker 2: a crime scene right at the beginning to protect any 585 00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:41,640 Speaker 2: possible forensic evidence. With police work, you don't know what. 586 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:46,520 Speaker 2: You don't know until you realize it might have been important. 587 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:51,520 Speaker 2: But I do know detectives who look at this case 588 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:55,359 Speaker 2: say this is a wasted chance that might have made 589 00:38:55,400 --> 00:39:01,600 Speaker 2: a difference. And of course the secrecy also doesn't work. 590 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:04,839 Speaker 2: William's name, the fact he was in care, and the 591 00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:08,840 Speaker 2: identities of both his birth and foster parents start spreading 592 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:12,440 Speaker 2: over social media, as if the official attempts to shut 593 00:39:12,520 --> 00:39:17,719 Speaker 2: down this information only spark a wildfire of speculation, and 594 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:21,960 Speaker 2: some of that is cruel. Late the same night William 595 00:39:22,080 --> 00:39:25,399 Speaker 2: is reported missing. His birth mum gets a call from 596 00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:30,080 Speaker 2: someone saying there's something written online that her son's body 597 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:47,759 Speaker 2: has been discovered, and of course that isn't true. As 598 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:52,200 Speaker 2: a reporter covering the investigation into William's disappearance in the 599 00:39:52,239 --> 00:39:56,000 Speaker 2: weeks and months and years that follow, one thing that 600 00:39:56,080 --> 00:39:59,719 Speaker 2: strikes me is the sheer scale of the police operation 601 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:03,760 Speaker 2: and how hard it must be to keep track over 602 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:08,919 Speaker 2: all of that information. The uncertainty about different cars continues. 603 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:12,799 Speaker 2: The foster mother remembers seeing two cars parked outside the 604 00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:16,360 Speaker 2: house on the morning William went missing, a gray Sedan 605 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:21,560 Speaker 2: and a white station wagon. A year later, the police 606 00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:23,840 Speaker 2: will be unable to find those cars. 607 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:29,480 Speaker 11: Then there's the information that for the first time tonight 608 00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:31,680 Speaker 11: is being made public by police. 609 00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:35,520 Speaker 2: And will use the nine Networks sixty Minutes program to 610 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:36,840 Speaker 2: appeal for information. 611 00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:40,440 Speaker 1: Oh, we've got the general description of the vehicles. 612 00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:44,120 Speaker 5: Ones a white station wagon, another is an older style 613 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:46,120 Speaker 5: grayish colored dar Sadin. 614 00:40:46,320 --> 00:40:49,239 Speaker 16: That white Toyota Camry station wagon, but was published on 615 00:40:49,239 --> 00:40:49,680 Speaker 16: the news. 616 00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:53,720 Speaker 2: This is Richard Brindle. He's a truck driver who says 617 00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:56,239 Speaker 2: he was driving his b double up in Queensland. 618 00:40:56,760 --> 00:40:59,960 Speaker 16: That car well that was part of the side of 619 00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:03,200 Speaker 16: the ride halfway between Miriam Val and Ginger and Central Queensland. 620 00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:08,759 Speaker 2: Richard says the car driver was a bit weird. 621 00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:10,960 Speaker 16: And he got out and started waving to me, and 622 00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:14,400 Speaker 16: he followed me, and he followed me, and he followed me, 623 00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:17,239 Speaker 16: and I stopped and I said, what's who are you? 624 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:21,120 Speaker 16: What's your problem? Anyway, he went around me, flopped us, 625 00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:23,879 Speaker 16: clean us out, heaving a pee on the side of the road, 626 00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:27,240 Speaker 16: waving at me. And I thought, this drives a nutter. 627 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:32,080 Speaker 2: Richard says. The station wagon has New South Wales plates. 628 00:41:32,640 --> 00:41:36,200 Speaker 2: He drove away and at home that night he saw 629 00:41:36,360 --> 00:41:39,880 Speaker 2: a sketch that looked exactly like the car on sixty minutes. 630 00:41:40,360 --> 00:41:43,759 Speaker 2: He also recognized the man he saw from news reports. 631 00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:46,160 Speaker 16: It was on the news, a description of the blog 632 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:48,600 Speaker 16: on the and the sketch of the bloke. And I said, 633 00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:50,440 Speaker 16: does a go on at white station wagon is up 634 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:51,560 Speaker 16: there in Central Queensland. 635 00:41:52,239 --> 00:41:52,960 Speaker 4: That's a car. 636 00:41:53,800 --> 00:41:57,040 Speaker 2: Richard says. He called Crime Stoppers, which allows you to 637 00:41:57,080 --> 00:42:00,000 Speaker 2: report information to police sien crimes. 638 00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:02,000 Speaker 16: I was to tell them all about it, like I said, 639 00:42:02,040 --> 00:42:05,120 Speaker 16: you know, do you want to what they could have done? 640 00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:07,760 Speaker 16: There's cameras. We know all the survioleance cameras. I said, 641 00:42:07,880 --> 00:42:10,680 Speaker 16: you know, go through the cameras. I've got my log books. 642 00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:13,759 Speaker 16: They've got records of my run, you know, and you 643 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:16,120 Speaker 16: can get this car's ridge and there's a start for you. 644 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:21,600 Speaker 2: Only Richard didn't hear back yeah twice now off rang 645 00:42:21,680 --> 00:42:24,400 Speaker 2: them and he was talking about a car. The police 646 00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:29,200 Speaker 2: had been on TV appealing for information about. 647 00:42:29,360 --> 00:42:33,080 Speaker 16: Just my frustration. I thought, you know, there's a boy's life. 648 00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:35,200 Speaker 16: I'm missing you. I've got kids on my own. I thought, 649 00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:39,640 Speaker 16: I'm not abut to reward money anything like that, very 650 00:42:39,719 --> 00:42:41,800 Speaker 16: serious stuff. It's a boy's life. 651 00:42:42,480 --> 00:42:45,560 Speaker 2: And maybe all that shows you is how much information 652 00:42:45,719 --> 00:42:49,879 Speaker 2: the police were receiving. And the car Richard saw, maybe 653 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:53,239 Speaker 2: it wasn't the white car in the police appeal, and 654 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:59,879 Speaker 2: maybe memory can be unreliable except there's lowest BA. 655 00:43:01,760 --> 00:43:06,520 Speaker 1: Because I had got in touch with the crime Stoppers. 656 00:43:06,200 --> 00:43:09,840 Speaker 2: Who says she saw a boy she swears was William 657 00:43:10,160 --> 00:43:13,000 Speaker 2: with a group of other kids and two adults in 658 00:43:13,040 --> 00:43:16,200 Speaker 2: Central Australia shortly after he went missing. 659 00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:20,840 Speaker 1: As I was walking across, one of the boys said, 660 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:25,000 Speaker 1: what's the matter will And I looked across and here's 661 00:43:25,040 --> 00:43:26,120 Speaker 1: William Tyrell. 662 00:43:27,239 --> 00:43:30,080 Speaker 2: Lois says she tried to report it at the local 663 00:43:30,080 --> 00:43:30,760 Speaker 2: police station. 664 00:43:31,520 --> 00:43:34,520 Speaker 1: The policeman came out and he didn't let me get 665 00:43:34,520 --> 00:43:37,280 Speaker 1: to finish, and he said, look, I'm in a meeting. 666 00:43:37,440 --> 00:43:39,560 Speaker 1: Don't worry about it. There's all sorts of funny things 667 00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:42,360 Speaker 1: going on up heres. Just go home and have a 668 00:43:42,400 --> 00:43:44,560 Speaker 1: good night's sleep and don't worry about it anymore. 669 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:49,320 Speaker 2: And Lois says she called crime stoppers more than once 670 00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:51,759 Speaker 2: but never heard from a detective. 671 00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:57,400 Speaker 17: Then all of a sudden, I noticed this little boy. 672 00:43:58,200 --> 00:44:01,680 Speaker 2: And then there's Matilda Pollens, who was on a bus 673 00:44:01,760 --> 00:44:04,880 Speaker 2: journey two days after William was reported missing. 674 00:44:05,719 --> 00:44:09,880 Speaker 17: And I think I just noticed him more so because 675 00:44:09,920 --> 00:44:12,799 Speaker 17: he had that spider man outfit, you know, That's why 676 00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:14,240 Speaker 17: what I really do remember. 677 00:44:14,960 --> 00:44:18,440 Speaker 2: And saw a boy she later recognized from news reports 678 00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:19,520 Speaker 2: as William. 679 00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:21,760 Speaker 17: Uh and of course the brown hair. 680 00:44:22,239 --> 00:44:25,080 Speaker 2: And this was before you'd heard about William going missing. 681 00:44:25,400 --> 00:44:26,560 Speaker 17: Yeah, I didn't even know. 682 00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:31,719 Speaker 2: Matilda tried to report this to crime Stoppers, but says 683 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:34,640 Speaker 2: the person on the line says she must have got 684 00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:35,160 Speaker 2: it wrong. 685 00:44:36,520 --> 00:44:39,799 Speaker 17: She asked me if he had blonde hair, and of 686 00:44:39,840 --> 00:44:42,360 Speaker 17: course I said no, and then she just said no, 687 00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:43,200 Speaker 17: that's not the boy. 688 00:44:43,600 --> 00:44:44,439 Speaker 3: It wasn't to real. 689 00:44:45,480 --> 00:44:47,879 Speaker 2: So she asked you if the boy you saw had 690 00:44:47,920 --> 00:44:49,200 Speaker 2: blonde hair, and he. 691 00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:53,440 Speaker 17: Said no, that's one hundred percent yes. She specifically said. 692 00:44:53,239 --> 00:44:59,000 Speaker 2: That yes, only William wasn't blonde. He had brown hair 693 00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:04,800 Speaker 2: like the on the bus. So if this conversation happened, 694 00:45:04,840 --> 00:45:09,800 Speaker 2: like Matilda remembers, crime Stoppers got that wrong and maybe 695 00:45:09,840 --> 00:45:15,160 Speaker 2: something important wasn't passed to the detectives. Richard Lois and 696 00:45:15,239 --> 00:45:21,360 Speaker 2: Matilda all saying they called crime Stoppers and nothing. We 697 00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:25,440 Speaker 2: asked Crime Stoppers about this. Their chief exec Peter Price, 698 00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:30,200 Speaker 2: said they can't respond to quote comments made by members 699 00:45:30,239 --> 00:45:33,440 Speaker 2: of the public which can't be substantiated or proven in 700 00:45:33,480 --> 00:45:36,600 Speaker 2: any shape or form, and these comments may end up 701 00:45:36,640 --> 00:45:41,520 Speaker 2: being a matter of opinion, which is fine, except we 702 00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:44,680 Speaker 2: gave crime Stoppers the names of the people making what 703 00:45:44,760 --> 00:45:48,360 Speaker 2: he calls these comments, and I would have thought crime 704 00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:53,520 Speaker 2: Stoppers keeps records so these comments could be substantiated or 705 00:45:53,560 --> 00:45:57,880 Speaker 2: proven either way. We do know there are gaps and 706 00:45:57,920 --> 00:46:01,799 Speaker 2: the police investigation and no crime scene was established, so 707 00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:06,320 Speaker 2: there was no forensic evidence and some places never got searched. 708 00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:11,560 Speaker 2: Amid confusion over who was really running the investigation, which 709 00:46:11,680 --> 00:46:16,120 Speaker 2: was also dealing with an avalanche of tips, leads, and sightings, 710 00:46:16,320 --> 00:46:20,840 Speaker 2: so some got missed or only followed up on years later. 711 00:46:21,640 --> 00:46:24,680 Speaker 2: And if we know now the police have got no 712 00:46:24,920 --> 00:46:29,160 Speaker 2: evidence about what happened to William, all that makes you 713 00:46:29,320 --> 00:46:34,000 Speaker 2: wonder what they might have missed right from the beginning. 714 00:46:36,400 --> 00:46:39,440 Speaker 13: So this was in within I'm guessing two weeks of 715 00:46:39,480 --> 00:46:40,560 Speaker 13: William going missing. 716 00:46:41,680 --> 00:46:44,359 Speaker 2: This woman was close enough to what was going on 717 00:46:44,480 --> 00:46:47,720 Speaker 2: to know about the local white goods repairmen we mentioned 718 00:46:47,719 --> 00:46:50,160 Speaker 2: at the start of the episode, who was due to 719 00:46:50,200 --> 00:46:52,719 Speaker 2: come and fix the washing machine in the house where 720 00:46:52,760 --> 00:46:54,160 Speaker 2: William was reported missing. 721 00:46:54,800 --> 00:46:57,440 Speaker 13: So I just thought I'd call crime stoppers. 722 00:46:58,360 --> 00:47:01,560 Speaker 2: She says that she read so thing about how if 723 00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:05,520 Speaker 2: William was abducted, it was likely to be someone who 724 00:47:05,600 --> 00:47:08,040 Speaker 2: had a reason to be at the property. 725 00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:11,880 Speaker 13: And so that just made me immediately think about the 726 00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:15,200 Speaker 13: washing machine guy, because we knew that he'd been there. 727 00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:16,880 Speaker 2: And what did you hear back? 728 00:47:17,120 --> 00:47:20,000 Speaker 13: I didn't hear back, ever, No. 729 00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:22,160 Speaker 2: And what did you think about that? 730 00:47:23,480 --> 00:47:27,200 Speaker 13: I've never called crime stoppers before, so I wasn't sure 731 00:47:27,239 --> 00:47:29,280 Speaker 13: whether they would bring me back or whether they would 732 00:47:29,320 --> 00:47:31,560 Speaker 13: just take the information and pass it on to the. 733 00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:38,560 Speaker 2: Police, and maybe that happened because somehow, out of all 734 00:47:38,719 --> 00:47:42,399 Speaker 2: the noise and chaos of the search and the investigation, 735 00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:47,799 Speaker 2: the clairvoyance, the media reporting, the thousands of sightings, and 736 00:47:47,920 --> 00:47:52,600 Speaker 2: all the other persons of interest, the police will zero 737 00:47:52,840 --> 00:47:57,840 Speaker 2: in on this one suspect who will come to dominate 738 00:47:58,080 --> 00:48:03,839 Speaker 2: all their attention, blotting out other leads, meaning again, you'll 739 00:48:03,880 --> 00:48:06,960 Speaker 2: never know what you missed if you had been looking, 740 00:48:07,920 --> 00:48:11,680 Speaker 2: and the police pursuit of this one suspect will ultimately 741 00:48:11,800 --> 00:48:15,280 Speaker 2: lead to what a court will describe as the worst 742 00:48:15,320 --> 00:48:22,280 Speaker 2: case of malicious prosecution in the state's history. But right now, 743 00:48:22,680 --> 00:48:26,360 Speaker 2: one week after William was reported missing, as his foster 744 00:48:26,520 --> 00:48:30,479 Speaker 2: parents load up their car, including the empty car seat, 745 00:48:30,760 --> 00:48:34,400 Speaker 2: for the long drive home to Sydney, this washing machine 746 00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:38,120 Speaker 2: repair man has no idea what is about to hit him. 747 00:48:38,440 --> 00:48:42,400 Speaker 2: How he will become front page news. He'll be assaulted, 748 00:48:43,040 --> 00:48:46,040 Speaker 2: forced to move, have a new neighbor tell him she 749 00:48:46,200 --> 00:48:49,960 Speaker 2: doesn't want him to be outside while her children are playing. 750 00:48:50,600 --> 00:48:54,600 Speaker 2: How he will be arrested accused of child sex offenses, 751 00:48:54,920 --> 00:48:59,480 Speaker 2: have details of those charges shared with journalists outside the 752 00:48:59,560 --> 00:49:04,560 Speaker 2: court police, And only years later, when he has lost 753 00:49:04,560 --> 00:49:09,000 Speaker 2: his business and his reputation been separated from the children 754 00:49:09,080 --> 00:49:12,799 Speaker 2: who were living with him. Only then, when it's too 755 00:49:12,880 --> 00:49:16,360 Speaker 2: late for all of those things, will this man be 756 00:49:16,440 --> 00:49:21,480 Speaker 2: found not guilty? And even today, ten years into the 757 00:49:21,480 --> 00:49:26,160 Speaker 2: police investigation into William's disappearance, there is no evidence that 758 00:49:26,239 --> 00:49:30,600 Speaker 2: he or Tony Jones or Jeff Owen were on Benerum 759 00:49:30,719 --> 00:49:35,400 Speaker 2: Drive that morning. But there are people who wrongly remember 760 00:49:35,680 --> 00:49:39,879 Speaker 2: only the bad headlines and ask who was that guy, 761 00:49:40,040 --> 00:49:45,320 Speaker 2: the one from the TV reports? What happened to him? 762 00:49:45,440 --> 00:49:50,120 Speaker 2: Maybe let's start at the beginning. Could you introduce yourselves 763 00:49:51,120 --> 00:49:57,480 Speaker 2: on door Spading? Yes, that's next time on Witness William tyrrel. 764 00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:04,000 Speaker 2: If you know any thing about William's disappearance, please contact Crimestoppers. 765 00:50:04,360 --> 00:50:06,640 Speaker 2: There's a number in the show notes for this series, 766 00:50:07,200 --> 00:50:09,480 Speaker 2: but if there's anything you want to tell us, you 767 00:50:09,560 --> 00:50:13,440 Speaker 2: can email Witness at news dot com dot au or 768 00:50:13,480 --> 00:50:16,839 Speaker 2: I'm on social media and it can be completely confidential. 769 00:50:17,960 --> 00:50:20,479 Speaker 2: A lot of different people have been involved in making 770 00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:24,399 Speaker 2: this series. Among them, the executive producer is Nina Young. 771 00:50:24,880 --> 00:50:28,319 Speaker 2: The sound design was by Tiffany Dimack. The producers have 772 00:50:28,400 --> 00:50:33,319 Speaker 2: been Emily Pigeon, Nicholas Adams, Jazzbar, Phoebe Sakowski, Wallace, and 773 00:50:33,360 --> 00:50:38,640 Speaker 2: Tabby Wilson. Research by Adan Patrick, original music by Rory O'Connor. 774 00:50:39,160 --> 00:50:42,600 Speaker 2: Our lawyer is Stephen Coombs. The editor at news dot 775 00:50:42,640 --> 00:50:46,160 Speaker 2: com dot Au is Kerry Warren. Voice acting in this 776 00:50:46,280 --> 00:50:50,960 Speaker 2: episode by Beg Day and Bridget Bush. I'm Dan Box.