Doubts raised over critical last photo of William Tyrrell
The last known photograph taken of missing boy William Tyrrell is reportedly being forensically examined after confusion arose about the time the well-known photo was taken.
The image of the three-year-old dressed in a Spider-man costume has been front and centre of every report on William, as it was believed to have been taken at 9:37am, a short time before he vanished on the morning of September 12, 2014 on the NSW Mid North Coast.
The Australian has reported that there is confusion over the digital time stamp of the photo after a new document in the 2000-page evidence brief listed a "created time" for the image of 7:39 am, and a "corrected time" of 9:37am.
The media outlet has also reported that a digital forensic expert will assist police by examining the EXIF data of the photo, which is similar to a ‘digital fingerprint’.
The EXIF data of a photo is stored inside the digital file of the image and gives more accurate information than a timestamp, as a camera’s date and time setting may be incorrect.
The timing of the photo is a critical piece of the puzzle and helps to establish a window of time during which the young boy disappeared.
Neighbour Ron Chapman told the inquest he saw a boy wearing a Spiderman suit being driven away in a car that morning in Kendall.
The inquest has been told the window during which the boy was taken away would have been between 9:37am, when the photograph was believed to have been taken and 10:57am, when his foster mother called triple zero.
The EXIF data, if different, could change that window drastically.
There have been several persons of interest named during the investigation but no arrests have been made, and all deny any involvement.
A $1 million reward leading to William's recovery has so far failed to trigger a breakthrough.
Anyone with information about William Tyrrell’s disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the online reporting page.
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