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'600 persons of interest' in William Tyrrell search

Police are casting a wider net in the search for answers over missing toddler William Tyrrell, with more than 600 persons of interest believed to be in their sights.

It is believed that police have received information on 400 of these persons and 200 have not yet been completely identified.

Those profiles may include only physical descriptions from suspicious sightings and information gathered by police, Fairfax Media reports.

William was last seen wearing this spider-man costume. Source: NSW Police
William was last seen wearing this spider-man costume. Source: NSW Police

Information relating to around 400 persons of interest have been sent out to police local area commands across the state and officers in each area have the responsibility of following up on those people and reporting back to the homicide squad.

Other teams at NSW Police's State Crime Command, home to the force's elite squads, are also helping with the workload and have been assigned people to investigate.

A criminal profiler says they are convinced there was nothing planned about the abduction – it was opportunistic.

On September 12, 2014, two years ago tomorrow, on a quiet Friday morning in Benaroon Drive, Kendal, William Tyrrell just vanished.

Forensic criminologist Claire Ferguson said it was very rare for a child below school age to be taken, especially a boy.

She believes there was no plan and William was just snatched.

“They don’t usually select victims based on any type of characteristic of the victim,” she said.


“It’s just that they’re at the right place at the right time from the offender’s perspective.”

Police are yet to identify a suspect but Dr Ferguson said the kidnapper may not necessarily be known to William’s family, but it may have been someone the child might have recognised.

Two years on the disappearance of William Tyrrell haunts the mid-north coast town of Kendall. Photo: 7 News
Two years on the disappearance of William Tyrrell haunts the mid-north coast town of Kendall. Photo: 7 News