Superintendent Paul Fehon made the announcement at Kendall Showground on Wednesday morning when he referred to expert advice on the sixth day of the search.

"They cannot substantiate his survival, at this point in time," Superintendent Fehon said when asked about William's likely condition if he is lost.

Supt Fehon repeated police's request for information on any vehicle which may have been in the Kendall area on Friday morning, because "we still have no indication of where he is."

Superintendent Fehon also said police are investigating whether "human intervention" was involved in William's disappearance.

"Human intervention can include a number of things," he said when asked for clarification,

While volunteer numbers have fallen since Monday, and are likely to continue to decrease as time goes on, Superintendent Fehon said police will continue to dedicate resources to the operation.

In addition to officers from the Mid North Coast and Manning-Great Lakes Local Area Commands, the Public Order Squad will again comb the three kilometre area around where William was last seen on Friday morning.

Strike Force Rosann has been created to investigate the incident and includes members of the State Crime Command, under its Serious Crime Directorate, who investigate sex crimes as well as disappearance cases. Detectives from the Mid-North Coast and Manning-Great Lakes Local Area Command also are included. 

Trail bikes and four-wheel drive vehicles will be used to expand the search area on Wednesday.  

Crime Stoppers can be contacted on 1800 333 000.

Source: Port News