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William Tyrell search: police say chances of survival are diminishing William Tyrell search: police say sniffer dogs have found no trace of boy
(about 4 hours later)
The chances of finding three-year-old William Tyrell alive are quickly diminishing, say police, as the search on the NSW mid-north coast heads into the fifth day. Sniffer dogs have failed to pick up any scent of the three-year-old William Tyrell on the NSW mid-north coast, fuelling fears he may not have wandered away from home.
The three-year-old has not been seen since he vanished from his grandmother’s home at Kendall on Friday morning. The search for the three-year-old who vanished from his grandmother’s Kendall home on Friday is in its fifth day – and the chances of finding him alive nearby are thought to be rapidly diminishing.
But authorities and members of the Kendall community are not giving up their search. “It’s baffling that there’s no lead at this time,” Superintendent Paul Fehon told Macquarie Radio on Tuesday.
Teams have again worked through the night and police say all avenues to find the boy in his Spiderman costume are being investigated. “We would have thought we would have had some indication of something at this stage of this very thorough search.”
However they admit hopes are fading that it is still a rescue mission. Neither police sniffer dogs nor cadaver dogs had been able to pick up any sign of the boy, Fehon said.
“Those chances of survival diminish rapidly and of course we are very concerned for young William’s welfare,” Superintendent Paul Fehon told reporters on Tuesday. He said investigators were “keeping an open mind” about whether William had been taken.
“We do have grave concerns.
“To disappear that quickly absolutely bewilders us.”
The search will be expanded on Tuesday from 1.5km around the home, which backs onto bush, out to three kilometres, with police on trial bikes venturing further afield.
“The whole operation has covered in excess of 10 square kilometres,” Fehon said.
Police are looking at all possibilities.
“Our investigative efforts, we are bolstering them to ensure if anything has happened to William apart from him running and disappearing of his own means that we come up with the right result,” Fehon said.
“We would have hoped to have found something by now.”
He said investigators were “keeping an open mind” about whether the boy had been taken.
Police in the mid-north coast area have been working with specialist units across the state, including the sex crime squad.Police in the mid-north coast area have been working with specialist units across the state, including the sex crime squad.
It has been reported that known sex offenders in the area have been contacted to confirm their whereabouts at 10.30am last Friday, the ABC says. Known sex offenders in the area have been contacted to confirm their whereabouts when William was last seen in his grandmother’s front yard around 10.30am last Friday.
A family friend of the Tyrells has described William as a happy three-year-old. “We are concentrating back on last Friday when he was in that yard, playing with his sister, with his grandmother there and his mother at home,” Fehon said.
“William is a gorgeous little boy, happy cheeky adventurer,” she told the Seven Network on Tuesday. “If someone saw anything or knew of anyone that was visiting the Kendall area before 11 o’clock, if they could please call Crime Stoppers.”
Fresh search crews from Sydney and Newcastle are arriving on Tuesday. Authorities and members of the Kendall community are refusing to give up, as fresh crews from Sydney and Newcastle join the search.
Police will hold a briefing on Tuesday morning to discuss the plan for the day. “We do have grave concerns,” Fehon said. “To disappear that quickly absolutely bewilders us.”
The search will be expanded on Tuesday from 1.5km around the home, which backs on to bush, out to 3km, with police on trial bikes venturing further afield.
“The whole operation has covered in excess of 10 square kilometres,” Fehon said.
A family friend told the Seven Network that William was a “gorgeous little boy, happy, cheeky adventurer”.
Crime Stoppers can be contacted on 1800 333 000.