Little boy lost: The community changed forever

A year on from the shocking disappearance of toddler William Tyrell, 7News reporter Ashlea Brown reflects on the case that has stunned the nation.

The first thing that stood out to me was how many people were the streets searching for William.

They were from all walks of life. Young and old.

They were frantically searching backyards and the bush. Everyone wanted to find William.

At first, there seemed to be nothing sinister about it.

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It sounded like a little boy had wandered off.

Investigators described Day Three as a critical day. The advice from experts was that William wouldn’t have ventured further than a three-kilometre radius from the house.

They also said he suffered from asthma and was so small, so searchers would need check behind every blade of glass.

Day Three was also when we became aware homicide and sex crimes detectives were seriously looking into the case.

The local commander's wife gave an impassioned plea. It was clear she was having trouble holding back her emotions.

She told us if nighttime falls on the third night, it was unlikely he would survive.

On Day Four, the mood shifted.

People knew in their hearts of hearts that he would not have survived.

Day Six the search was scaled back. The search crews looked defeated. They were physically and emotionally exhausted.

To this day, no one can explain what happened.

Not a piece of his Spiderman suit has turned up.

It is obvious investigators are keeping their cards close to their chest, but it’s still a mystery for those following the case.

On Day Eight, TV crews wrapped and returned without knowing much more. It was surreal.

The local commander and his wife were taking turns briefing the media.

They were parents, and you could imagine the emotional toll it took on them.

When we first arrived in Kendall the community was very welcoming of the media and wanted the attention of the media to find William.

But a year on, there is more concern and alarm. Parents are a lot more cautious because of this unsolved disappearance.

They are concerned a pedophile is walking among them and it’s changed them.