On the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of William Tyrrell, his family and friends were able to take a step closer to knowing what happened to the boy.
An inquest into his case, which has been plagued by delays, will finally end this year.
William went missing on September 12, 2014, from his grandmother’s home in Kendall. His case has been regarded as one of the most prominent missing persons cases in Australia.
A coroner was supposed to begin examining his case last year, but the proceedings were delayed due to the prosecutors’ investigation into his foster mother.
The police started investigating the boy’s disappearance after it was believed that he died after falling from a balcony.
His foster parents have maintained that they did not commit any wrongdoing. The inquest, which was carried out for 18 months, was adjourned in 2020 to allow the findings of the coroner to be delivered in 2021.
Due to the prosecutors’ investigation into the foster mother, the inquest was delayed. It was then rescheduled to have another block of hearings, which will start in November and conclude in December. On Tuesday, the coroner for the case, Ms Grahame, revealed the dates of the hearings.
The coroner’s findings will be delivered to the public at a later time. On Tuesday, the court was informed that the list of witnesses and other issues related to the inquest would be finalized by this week. The hearings were previously postponed after the police started searching Kendall, which is located on the NSW Mid North Coast.
In 2021, the police and volunteers of Strike Force Rosann searched the area around Kendall. They also visited the home of the boy’s foster grandmother and the bush.
In 2022, the foster mother was found not guilty of intentionally misleading the NSW Crime Commission about the boy’s whereabouts. His foster father was also cleared of similar charges.
At that time, the court was informed that during a Crime Commission hearing, the foster mother was asked about William’s disappearance and whether she disposed of his body. She and her partner maintained that they did not do anything wrong.