WEDNESDAY'S COVERAGE:
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Thursday 10am: Police this morning have abandoned the Bonny Hills property which has been the subject of rigorous searches for the past 48 hours.
The only fleeting glance of authorities this morning was when three detectives hurriedly removed the police tape surrounding the property on Wandoo Place.
That 9am visit was in direct contrast to police comments yesterday when a senior officer said the forensic presence would be increased today.
Investigators were still searching the semi-rural property at 7pm Wednesday.
Wandoo Place resident Penny Marshall said police were at the house in greater numbers on Tuesday night and in the early hours of Wednesday.
"I'm not sure why they weren't searching later if they think there is something," Mrs Marshall said.
"It's also a bit odd they aren't here now," she said at 8am on Thursday.
A man who lives closest to the property that has been thoroughly searched for the last 48 hours has frequently seen children playing in the yard.
The resident, who did not wish to be named, said he has seen the kids "yelling and having a bit of fun a fair bit".
He said one of the boys is an older teenager who likes to kick a football with the younger boy, who attends a local primary school.
"I know they head up to the skate park there in Bonny Hills. They're just kids, having fun like they're supposed to."
From Wednesday ...
The State Crime Command Homicide Squad is now heading up the investigation which includes a workforce of more than 10 fulltime officers.
Previously Strike Force Rosann, a joint operative made up of Mid-North Coast detectives and State Crime Command investigators, has taken the lead.
This change of tack confirms police belief that human intervention was involved in the three-year-old's disappearance from his grandmother's Kendall property on September 12, 2014.
Police, however, have remained tight-lipped and have not publicly ruled out anything.
On Tuesday forensic specialists worked alongside homocide detectives at a Laurieton unit, and seized computer equipment and a mattress from a Bold St office space.
On Wednesday attention turned to Wandoo Place, Bonny Hills, where it is believed they drained a septic tank, moved a large nearby woodpile and scoured bushland for hours on end.
Port Macquarie Superintendent Paul Fehon said investigations will continue at the semi-rural property at Bonny Hills and the Laurieton unit.
"I don't describe it as a major breakthrough; this is a line of inquiry that we are taking as part of the normal investigation phase for an investigation of this nature," Supt Fehon said.
"No person has been charged. A number of people have been spoken to as part of this phase of the investigation," he said.
"We won't be speculating at this point in time. The investigators and analysts remain dedicated to the task of determining what occurred to young William on that day.
"We're not ruling out anything at this point in time."
A complicated family history prohibits the missing three-year-old's parents from speaking publicly about William’s disappearance, but Supt Paul Fehon said they were being kept up to date with the investigation.
The Mid North Coast commander has encouraged the community to share any potential information on the missing toddler with police.
"There's many hundreds of pieces of information that have been provided through Crime Stoppers previously and they still have to go through all that information," Supt Fehon said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.