Locals of the town where William Tyrrell vanished are furious its reputation has been 'trashed'.
A resident in the street from which the toddler went missing in the NSW mid north coast town of Kendall told Daily Mail Australia locals were angry about how the seven-year search had played out.
'It's a horror movie. The reputation of Kendall has been trashed,' said Tracey, 30.
The mother of four boys, who grew up on Batar Creek Road where police are now searching for the toddler's remains, remembers the day William vanished.
One of her own sons was three years old at the time and when she heard a little boy of the same age had gone missing, Tracey feared it might be hers.
'The community invested a lot of time and effort into looking for that little boy,' she said.
'It's been hard for us since... The community searched and searched back then, but there's massive fire trails and thick bush.
'We're coming up with our own conclusions now about what went on that day.
'I've lain awake at night thinking about the fact William could have been in the bush over there all the time.'
Police examine a patch of bushland near to the house where William Tyrrell went missing in 2014 assisted by forensic graves expert Dr Tony Lowe (right)
The high intensity search of the Kendall house of William's foster grandmother is now in its fourth day
Police used ground-penetrating radar and 3D cameras to analyse nearby bushland after a digger had removed topsoil
Lidene Heslop, who mounted the search by neighbours the day William went missing, has spoken with current Kendall residents about the emotional turmoil the new police search is wreaking on their lives.
Ms Heslop no longer lives in Kendall, but Tracey said the new search by police has been a hot topic of discussion among old and current residents of the street.
'It's gone on long enough,' she said.
'It's horrible. It's been hard on our whole community this week.'
Kendall resident Paul Savage, who lives opposite the property from which William vanished in 2014, was under a cloud for more than two years as he was pursued and wrongly accused - but never charged - over the disappearance of the child
Kendall neighbour Vic Gunter (pictured), told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that it 'seems a bit strange' police would target the house so many years later
'It's a horror movie. The reputation of Kendall has been trashed,' local Tracey said
Fellow Kendall resident Paul Savage, who lives opposite the property from which William vanished in 2014, had also commented on the impact of the case on his life.
Mr Savage's life was under a cloud for more than two years as he was pursued and accused - but never charged - by former Tyrrell task force boss Gary Jubelin.
He told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday he was recovering after having his life put on hold while being wrongly portrayed as William's killer.
'I have not been well, but I do hope this new lot of police can finally solve this case and find William so his spirit can be put to rest,' Mr Savage, 77, said.
'I know one of the (biological) family and she's crying, so finding the little fella can only do everyone good.'
Another Kendall local, neighbour Vic Gunter, told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that it 'seems a bit strange' police would target the house so many years later.
On Thursday morning a concrete slab laid in the garage of William's foster grandmother's house was scanned by police but yielded no traces of the missing toddler
