Ben Thompson
The foster mother of a toddler is set to be charged for his disappearance nearly a decade after he went missing.
William Tyrrell vanished without a trace in September 2014 from the small Australian town of Kendall.
William was just three years old at the time and disappeared while playing in the back garden of his grandmother's house about 25km southwest of Port Macquarie.
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Within hours, locals formed search parties to find the youngster, who was wearing a Spider-Man suit at the time, but no trace of him was ever found.
Nearly nine years on, his foster mother is now set to be charged.
Any decision on whether to proceed with charges being laid is up to the Director of Public Prosecutions. No charges have so far been laid against the foster mother.
The New South Wales police have recommended she be charged for interfering with a corpse and perverting the course of justice.
It is being alleged that the foster mother - who can not be named for legal reasons - covered up his accidental death.
Detectives are believed to have launched an investigation into claims that a deadly accident took place at William's grandmother's home.
It's then alleged that the foster mother, who has denied any involvement, disposed of the body.
As of yet, no charges have been made.
No arrests have been made in the eight years since the search began to find the missing tot, who would be twelve today.
A coronial inquest wrapped up in October 2020 after nineteen months of hearings.
However, the findings were delayed despite being due for publication in 2021.
The NSW police and forensic specialists returned to the investigation in late 2021 after fresh evidence emerged.
For two weeks, dirt and household debris was dug up to look for clues that could point to the location of William.
Despite police assurances that they were confident of a breakthrough, the search did not uncover any new information.
It has not yet been revealed why the police have chosen to re-investigate William's foster mother at this current time.
In a statement to ABC News, NSW Police said investigations were still being conducted with the same focus as those undertaken previously.
They said: "[The] determination of strike force detectives has never wavered as they continue to meticulously explore and exhaust every line of inquiry."