A cutting-edge image created by a top US crime lab could hold the key to solving one of Australia’s most perplexing mysteries a decade after William Tyrrell disappeared without a trace. The three-year-old vanished from his foster grandmother’s home in Kendall on the NSW mid north coast on September 12, 2014.
Forensic imaging experts at Parabon Nano Labs have released a computer-generated image showing what William might look like today at age 13. Dr. Xanthé Mallett, an Associate Professor in Criminology at the University of Newcastle, praised the accuracy of the aging progression in the image.
The hope is that this new image will prompt someone with information about William’s disappearance to come forward and help solve the enduring mystery. Despite the $1 million reward offered for information leading to William’s discovery, there have been no confirmed sightings of him since he went missing.
Former detective Gary Jubelin, who led the search for William for four years, believes there needs to be a broader review of how the investigation was conducted. The inquest into William’s disappearance has been put on hold until the end of the year, with no findings handed down yet.
Lessons learned from William’s case were applied to successfully rescue abducted four-year-old Cleo Smith in Western Australia in 2019. The final block of hearings for the inquest into William’s disappearance and the police investigation will be held in November and December.