Hunt for tot draws blank
SECONDS before more than 30 police officers began the grim hunt for William Tyrell’s remains, the man identified by police as a person of interest in the case drove past the site.
Bones found late yesterday were confirmed to be from an animal and police are prepared to search a dense area of bushland for days.
Driving his whitegoods repair van, Bill Spedding was photographed travelling along Houston Mitchell Rd, known to locals as the Ghost Road, as police moved in to search.
The route through thick bushland is used by locals from Bonny Hills, where Mr Spedding lives, to reach the Pacific Highway.
Mr Spedding had been called to fix a washing machine at William’s grandmother’s house on the day the toddler vanished last September.
The search of bushland along Long Point Trail near Ghost Road could last for days with forensic police sent in to inspect the bones found yesterday, only to establish they were from an animal.
Riot squad and police rescue officers were joined by the officer in charge of finding William, Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin, for the painstaking search.
Earlier in the day Mr Spedding said he had heard the search was taking place about 5km from his home.
“I did (hear), it’s quite surprising … they’re only doing their job,” he said.
Mr Spedding has been interviewed by detectives but denies any involvement in William’s disappearance.
Before performing a driveby of the Long Point search zone yesterday, Mr Spedding visited a number of people believed to be clients.
He visited a residence, the Mariner Motel in Laurieton and a large warehouse before he drove past the search party stretched out in a single-file formation along the Ghost Road.
When asked if police would find anything along the secluded Long Point Trail, which runs perpendicular to the Ghost Road, Mr Spedding said: “I’ve got no idea.”
More than 30 officers joined the wade through the rugged terrain yesterday in search of evidence.
They included members of the Police Rescue and the bomb disposal units.
Police dogs and water police have not yet been called into the search.
Insp Jubelin arrived from Sydney about 3.45pm and was briefed by senior officers at the scene.
Minutes later, officers from Forensics Services arrived in two vehicles to begin preliminary examination of the bones unearthed in the search.
They determined the remains were not human shortly after 6pm.
Detectives are focusing their search efforts on a patch of bush roughly 20,000sq m in size that runs from the road to Lake Cathie.
They expect to reconvene at 7.30am today.