Tyrrell person of interest linked to second murder

The disappearance of a teenager found buried in a shallow grave in 1968 is allegedly linked to former William Tyrrell person of interest Frank Abbott, according to three new witnesses. Abbott once allegedly confessed that he 'did have sex with her and then … she was going to tell on him', according to one of these two witnesses. A second new witness alleged she was told the Abbott brothers 'took her out into the scrub and they all had sex with her and then she ended up dead but no one knows how'. A third witness gave evidence to the inquest into William’s disappearance in 2020, although Helen’s family said police never contacted them to say new information had come to light. Abbott, who is currently in prison for multiple child sex offences, was eventually charged and put on trial in 1991. In court, his lawyers argued that two female witnesses who claimed Abbott confessed to them had an axe to grind due to a family dispute. Another witness who separately alleged Abbott admitted to being involved was a prison informant who stood to gain by giving evidence, the lawyers said. Abbott’s first trial ended when the jury were unable to reach a verdict. A second trial found he was not guilty of Helen’s murder. We are not suggesting these new allegations are true, just that they have been made and have not been investigated by police. Helen was an outgoing teenager with dark hair and a bright smile when she left work at a store in Pitt Town in northwest Sydney around 12:45 pm on 16 March 1968. She used to sing while cycling the few kilometres home, her brother said, but a storm rolled in that afternoon and the family believe she may have stopped and accepted a lift. In the decades that followed, several witnesses told police that Abbott confessed to being involved in Helen’s killing and allegedly even showed them her underwear and watch.