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Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Top cop in William Tyrrell investigation reveals heartbreaking text from missing boy's foster mum almost 11 years after he disappeared
The former lead detective in the William Tyrrell case has revealed the tragic text message he received from the missing boy's foster mother. Gary Jubelin led the investigation for four years after the three-year-old vanished while playing in his foster grandmother's front yard in the NSW Mid North Coast town of Kendall on September 12, 2014. Mr Jubelin left the force in 2019 after being accused of illegally recording a suspect in the Tyrrell investigation. He was convicted of the offence and fined $10,000. Mr Jubelin, who now hosts the podcast I Catch Killers, said earlier this year that he 'can't let it go' when talking about William's case. And this week, he revealed a text message sent to him from William's foster mother. 'Another birthday has come and gone; William would be turning 14 today (June 26) and it's been almost 11 years since we last held him, kissed him goodnight and told him we loved him,' it read. Mr Jubelin disagrees with some NSW Police staff who believe the foster mother had something to do with the boy's disappearance. Gary Jubelin led the investigation for four years after the three-year-old vanished while playing in his foster grandmother's front yard in the NSW Mid North Coast town of Kendall on September 12, 2014 'I have consistently and publicly stated I do not believe the foster mother was involved,' he wrote. 'There has been no evidence I have seen presented at this inquest into William's disappearance that suggests the foster mother's involvement.' In April 2022, William's foster mother was charged with giving false or misleading information about the boy's disappearance to a NSW Crime Commission hearing, but was found not guilty in November 2022. William's foster mother's text message continued on: 'With the passage of time, our love for him has not diminished; our determination to find out what happened to him has not diminished; our fight for those responsible to be held accountable has not diminished.' She also asked that Mr Jubelin share another message to anyone who has any information at all about the case. 'Please don't give up on William; he deserves more. Someone knows something; don't let the opportunity to help find William slip by. Please report any information that may assist Police find William directly to Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 or whereswilliam@ Make the report today. Help us find our beautiful boy,' it read. 'That is a message from someone who wants answers to what happened to William and for people to be held accountable. She is not giving up hope,' Mr Jubelin wrote. The former top cop said he thought the case, which has nearly gone on for 11 years, could still be solved. 'Time and again, you see police crack cases that were previously unsolved,' he wrote. 'In William's case, I am aware of information obtained when I was working on the investigation that might provide answers. 'I have suggested that there should be an independent review of the investigation and let facts decide if mistakes were made.' An inquest into the disappearance of William finished up earlier this year, but no date has been set down for Deputy State Coroner Graham to hand down her findings.
News.com.au
25-06-2025
- News.com.au
Former William Tyrrell cop reveals foster mother's heartbreaking text
'Another birthday has come and gone; William would be turning 14 today and it's been almost 11 years since we last held him, kissed him goodnight and told him we loved him.' That's a message I received from William's foster mother, who was looking after him at the time of his disappearance. She is also the person who some NSW Police believe has knowledge or involvement in his disappearance. I am not one of those. I have consistently and publicly stated I do not believe the foster mother was involved. That opinion is not offered lightly, it is not a good look when a former cop who left the police in controversial circumstances, having been charged and convicted for actions carried out whilst leading the investigation into William's disappearance, makes comments like that. But, if there is one thing I learnt as a homicide detective, it is that facts should always outweigh suspicions. I watched the inquest with great interest as evidence was presented over the past six years – an extraordinarily long time for a coronial investigation to last. There has been no evidence I have seen presented at this inquest into William's disappearance that suggests the foster mother's involvement. Deputy State Coroner Graham is yet to hand down her findings, and Australia and the world is left speculating as to what happened to William. In the past decade numerous lives have been destroyed. None more so than those close to William. Both his foster family and biological families have been living this ongoing nightmare with no answers as to what happened to their child. It's understandable that William's birthday amplifies these emotions. Birthdays are traditionally a time to celebrate and reflect, but the arrival of William's birthday can only bring unimaginable pain. Fourteen is such an awkward age in a young man's life. It's a time when you are experiencing and feeling emotions, you don't fully understand, and life, although confusing, is also exciting. William's families have missed the opportunity to see him blossom, making those tentative steps into adulthood. There was another part to William's foster mother's message that read: 'With the passage of time our love for him has not diminished; our determination to find out what happened to him has not diminished; our fight for those responsible to be held accountable has not diminished.' She also asked that I share this message to anyone who has any information at all about William: 'Please don't give up on William; he deserves more. Someone knows something; don't let the opportunity to help find William slip by. Please report any information that may assist Police find William directly to Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 or whereswilliam@ Make the report today. Help us find our beautiful boy.' That is a message from someone who wants answers to what happened to William and for people to be held accountable. She is not giving up hope. I suspect that is a view held by all those touched by William's disappearance and there are not many people in Australia who haven't been affected by the disappearance of a three-year-old boy with his whole life in front of him. For what it's worth, I think this matter can still be solved. Time and again, you see police crack cases that were previously unsolved. In William's case, I am aware of information obtained when I was working on the investigation that might provide answers. Whether those lines of inquiry have been fully explored since my departure, I can't say. The investigation into the disappearance of William has been shrouded in controversy. A controversy that must affect the public's trust and confidence in the investigation. I have been part of this controversy and I don't shy away from my responsibility there. There is an accepted responsibility and accountability when investigating the disappearance of a three-year-old child. Police should be judged by their response and if mistakes were made those responsible should be held accountable. I have suggested that there should be an independent review of the investigation and let facts decide if mistakes were made. Too many lies have been destroyed and we need to learn from those lesson, so it doesn't happen again. At this stage no date has been set down for the coroner to hand down her findings following one of NSW's longest inquests. Let's hope when she does it provides answers. William deserves that. Gary Jubelin is a former NSW homicide detective, author and host of the 'I Catch Killers' podcast. He served as the lead investigator on the William Tyrrell case for four years.
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- News.com.au
Former cop boss says police had ‘multiple persons of interest' in William Tyrrell investigation
The former NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller has confirmed detectives were looking at multiple 'persons of interest' in the William Tyrrell investigation at a time police and media were saying publicly the focus was on only one - the boy's foster mother. It comes after an inquest into the three-year-old's disappearance found it was 'beyond argument' police have found no forensic or eyewitness evidence of what happened to William. The NSW Police Force has also declined to answer questions about whether detectives intend to charge the foster mother, who cannot be named, almost four years after a leaked front-page story described them as 'confident they have cracked the case'. Mr Fuller, who left the force in 2022, was speaking after a series of bombshell reports from Witness: William Tyrrell podcast revealed evidence about one former person of interest, Frank Abbott, has not been followed up by detectives. Abbott, who is currently in prison for sexually abusing children, was the subject of intense focus during a long-running inquest into William's 2014 disappearance but was not called to answer questions in public. In September 2021, unidentified police sources told reporters they were focused on William's foster mother, with one newspaper describing her as 'the new suspect' and saying 'police are now confident they will solve the mystery'. In November 2021, Mr Fuller gave a radio interview confirming 'there is one person, in particular, we are looking closely at' and describing the strike force running the investigation as one of the 'best teams we've seen'. Other media reports the same day described William's foster mother as 'the chief suspect' in the investigation. William's foster mother has always denied any involvement in what happened to him and has criticised police for not looking elsewhere. Speaking previously to the Witness: William Tyrrell podcast, Mr Fuller said he had his last briefing on the case shortly before leaving the force in January 2022, when 'they still had around 10 persons of interest that they were looking at'. In the aftermath of the recent revelations, he confirmed that, 'at some point late 2021, I received a briefing and there were still a number of persons of interest. I believe that was down to single figures though.' Speaking to Mr Fuller said the current lead detective, David Laidlaw, had reduced that number from close to a thousand people originally identified as 'persons of interest' by police. 'I think it's important to note when Detective Chief Inspector Laidlaw led the task force, they started fresh and had identified over 900 plus persons of interest,' Mr Fuller said. During a public hearing last November, the long-running inquest into William's disappearance and likely death publicly reviewed evidence gathered by police during their investigation of his foster mother. 'It's beyond argument that no forensic evidence has been located … that provides a clue to his disappearance,' said counsel assisting the inquest, Gerard Craddock SC. 'It's beyond argument that there is no eyewitness who has provided an account of how William left the boundaries of 48 Benaroon Drive' in Kendall, on the NSW Mid North Coast, where the three-year-old was reported missing. Recent media reports had said police believed William fell from the first-floor balcony of the house at 48 Benaroon Drive and his body was disposed of by his foster mother, Mr Craddock continued. 'It cannot be overstated the coroner has to act on the basis of reliable evidence.' Abbott has also privately denied any involvement in William's disappearance, although former detectives are now calling for him to be 'thoroughly investigated by police and subpoenaed to give evidence at the coronial inquest' in light of the recent revelations. These include allegations Abbott also sexually assaulted other young or teenage victims. The claims were made separately to the Witness: William Tyrrell podcast by three people: one alleged victim, one alleged witness and a third man who claimed he knew the victim personally. Others have come forward in the past week. Abbott's brother also purportedly made a disputed claim that three-year-old William is buried near the 'Bird Tree', a well-known landmark in the area around Kendall, and that Frank told someone 'he did it'. Former homicide detective Peter Hogan said in light of these new allegations Abbott should be fully investigated, subpoenaed to give evidence in the coronial inquest and the area around Bird Tree should be searched. His former detective colleague Scott Rogan agrees the coroner needs to make sure this new evidence is aired and Abbott is questioned. 'The inquest is the best place to thrash this out now. Let the system take its course and see what comes from it,' Mr Rogan said.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Shock new claim emerges about where William Tyrrell could be buried
The brother of a convicted paedophile, who was once a person of interest in the disappearance of William Tyrrell, has suggested where the child might be buried. William, 3, disappeared from the garden of his foster grandmother's home on Benaroon Drive, Kendall, on September 12, 2014, becoming Australia's most notorious missing person's case. During a ten day operation, local residents and emergency services searched the rural township for the young boy: looking in forests, creeks and paddocks. William has not been found in the then years since he vanished. Several theories were floated during the inquest into his disappearance held by the NSW Coroner's Court between 2019 and 2024. This included allegations William's foster mother hid his body after he 'died from a fall' out of fear she would lose access to another child in her care. The foster mother, who cannot be identified, has repeatedly denied any involvement in William's disappearance. Another person of interest during the inquest was Frank Abbott, 84, who is currently in prison for sexually assaulting two girls and a boy. A man living in Abbott's old house in Johns River, near Kendall, told investigative podcast Witness: William Tyrrell that Frank's brother Jeffrey - or 'Bluey' - allegedly shared a potential location of William's remains. 'He always said, when the stories were going around with (William) Tyrrell, that he didn't do it,' the man said. 'Pretty close to when he died, Bluey said to my son, "He's buried up on Big Bird Mountain there, where that big tree is". 'No one ever checked that out.' The Bird Tree, one of two of the largest blackbutt eucalyptus trees in NSW, is a popular landmark and picnic area around Kendall in the Middle Brother National Park. Daily Mail Australia does not assert or infer that Abbott was responsible for William's disappearance or death, but simply has relayed Jeffrey's alleged claims. The second man at Abbott's former house contested his father's account of Jeffrey Abbott and his view on the case. '(Jeffrey) didn't believe Frank had anything to do with it,' he said. 'But I think he was under the belief that Frank needed the jail time. 'He deserved to be in jail because of things he'd done in his past.' Abbott lived in a caravan in the area when William vanished and was previously accused during the inquest of bestiality with a neighbour's black Labrador. The inquest also heard evidence Abbott had repeatedly boasted about how he 'beat' a murder charge in the 1990s. In the 1990s, he stood trial twice over the 1968 disappearance of a 17-year-old girl, Helen Mary Harrison. A first jury failed to reach a verdict, and a second acquitted him. Miss Harrison's killer was never found. Abbott's notoriety as an unsavory character has been discussed in his previous home at Johns River. The town's former shopkeeper, Patrick Teeling, said to the Telegraph he was told: 'Warn your kids, don't let your kids go near him.' He 'didn't have any scruples', Mr Teeling said. 'You wouldn't feed him. Jail's too good for him.' Abbott was not questioned during the inquest and has privately denied his involvement in the disappearance of William. 'Hundreds' of people have been persons of interest in the investigation, with a detective describing it as a 'very low' threshold to meet. The NSW Government's notice of a $1million reward for information that leads to the recovery of William Tyrrell is still in force. Daily Mail Australia has contacted NSW Police regarding claims William's remains could allegedly be buried at The Bird Tree. Any remaining submissions to the Coroner's Court must be filed by May 30, before responses are handed up by June 13. The Coroner will then set down a date to deliver her findings.
