The foster mother of missing toddler William Tyrrell has broken her two-year silence to accuse police of ‘doing nothing’ to find the young boy.
William disappeared from his foster grandmother’s home in Kendall, a small town on the mid-coast of New South Wales, on September 12, 2014, at the age of three.
His disappearance remained a mystery for a decade, but detectives announced in 2021 that they had started a new line of investigation with the toddler’s foster mother as their lead person.
Theories from top officers claimed that William may have died from a misadventure and that his foster mother had disposed of his body.
However, in a rare interview with News Corpthe foster mother – who cannot be named – accused NSW police of letting William’s kidnapper slip while he was in the process of ‘pursuing’ her.
“I believe that if the police had investigated this case properly, instead of prosecuting me, they might have found the person responsible for William’s disappearance,” she told the Witness: William Tyrrell podcast.
The foster mother further argued her innocence, saying she has “no idea who took William or what happened to him.”
“Over the past five years the police have done nothing to find out who took William and what happened to him,” she said.
William Tyrrell (pictured on the day of his disappearance in 2014) disappeared from his foster grandmother’s home 10 years ago
William’s foster mother was named detectives’ top person in 2021 amid allegations she hid the toddler’s body after he died of ‘misadventure’ (pictured, William’s foster parents in September 2023)
“Instead, they focused all their efforts on building a case where I was somehow responsible for his death and the disposal of his precious little body.
“They have gone to great lengths to smear my character in the media.”
NSW Police were unable to respond to her allegations due to the ongoing investigation into William’s disappearance.
William’s foster mother faced harsh speculation in November 2021 after NSW Police applied for a warrant for her arrest over allegations she assaulted another child.
During the court proceedings, parts of the NSW Police’s theory against her in 2022 were shared with Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan, in which he claimed she ‘knows where William Tyrrell is’.
‘When asked whether the police theory ‘at most’ involved the foster mother interfering with a corpse, he answered ‘yes’.
William’s biological family also spoke to his biological grandmother, Natalie Collins, on the podcast last week, admitting that she previously “hid” the boy from authorities.
Ms Collins said she was behind his first disappearance after a court ordered he be taken from his biological parents: her son Brendan Collins and Karlie Tyrrell.
“So I hid them,” Ms. Collins told the newspaper podcast.
“I hid them for three months after I knew (NSW government officials) were going to take William away… I arranged it all.”
William was just seven months old in February 2012 when the court ordered that his biological parents’ belongings be taken away.
The Department of Family and Community Services was concerned about domestic violence and substance abuse within the boy’s family, a court heard.
William’s mother, Karlie Tyrrell, was at the hearing and so knew her son would be placed under the parental responsibility of a NSW Government minister.
But when authorities came to pick William up from her home that afternoon, the family was in hiding with Mrs. Collins, who said she was the “mastermind” of the disappearance.
William’s foster mother accused NSW Police (pictured searching Kendall’s estate in 2021) of letting his kidnapper slip while he was busy ‘pursuing’ her
NSW Police Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan told the court in 2022 that William’s foster mother ‘knows where William Tyrrell (pictured) is’
A police strike force called Duncraig was set up to find William, and after many failures and wrong turns he was later found in 2012 and the boy was placed with foster parents.
That couple, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, reported him missing in 2014.
William has never been seen since and no one has been charged in the disappearance.
The second disappearance ten years ago led to the creation of the Rosann strike force.
Ms Collins said given William’s second disappearance, the NSW government “didn’t do its job properly” and should not have taken him from his biological family.
She said, “This shouldn’t be happening to foster kids these days…I have a son in rehab, I have one in jail and my family is full.
“I lost my son and I lost myself along the way.”
The podcast also spoke with a government official who was there when William was taken from his mother before being placed with his foster parents.
He also wonders if taking William away from Mrs. Tyrrell was the right thing to do.
“We take children from families all the time,” said the man, who wished to remain anonymous, breaking into tears. ‘You do it. It’s part of the job.
“What makes me angry is… that we took William away from Karlie to protect him. I can still see myself walking into that damn unit… And there was William on the floor.
“And I just think…did we do the right thing? Would he still be alive? Maybe.’
William’s biological grandmother, Natalie Collins, admitted she previously hid the toddler (pictured) in 2012 after the court ordered him removed from his biological parents.
William was last seen at his foster grandmother’s home (pictured) in Kendall, on the NSW Mid North Coast
The man said he still thinks about William Tyrrell regularly. ‘Not from day to day, but it does affect me. Because it keeps coming back.’
The investigation into William’s suspected death will resume in November.
A spokesperson for the Department of Communities and Justice told Daily Mail Australia: “No comment will be made in relation to the ongoing coronial investigation into the disappearance and suspected death of William Tyrrell.”