MISSING FIFO WORKER MYSTERY DEEPENS: BOMBSHELL CCTV REVEALS BILL CARTER NEVER INTENDED TO FLY – HE TOOK A SECRET TAXI TO TRIGG BEACH AND VANISHED BY THE WAVES

“He just stared at the ocean like he was saying goodbye…” Chilling new witness account from witness at surf club as desperate search enters sixth day

Perth, Thursday 11 December 2025 – In a gut-wrenching twist that has left his family reeling, police have confirmed missing FIFO worker William “Bill” Carter deliberately abandoned his flight to the Pilbara and instead took a clandestine taxi ride straight to Trigg Beach – where he was last seen wandering alone near the surf club, staring out to sea.

The breakthrough came this morning when detectives released fresh CCTV and taxi records showing the 25-year-old lingered inside Perth Airport’s Terminal 3 for roughly 90 minutes after his devastated mother, Jenny O’Byrne, kissed him goodbye at 12:40 pm on Saturday 6 December.

At approximately 2:10 pm – half an hour after his Karratha-bound flight was due to depart – Bill ordered a taxi from the domestic terminal rank. The driver has now come forward and told police he dropped the quiet young man at the Trigg Beach car park on West Coast Drive just after 2:30 pm. A local surfer told 9 News he spotted Bill near the Trigg Island Surf Life Saving Club around 2:40 pm.

“He was just standing there in jeans and a hoodie, hands in his pockets, staring at the water,” the witness said. “He looked completely lost – like he was saying goodbye to the world.”

Bill has not been seen or heard from since.

His heartbroken partner, Janae Williamson, confirmed tonight that Bill’s employer officially informed her he never checked in and never boarded the aircraft. “They said his seat was empty. He was supposed to be on site by Sunday morning. He never arrived,” she said, voice breaking.

Speaking from the family home in Bunbury, Jenny O’Byrne fought back tears as she revealed the true extent of her son’s silent struggle. “This is completely out of character for him,” she said. “He has been displaying some quite bizarre behaviours lately. He normally takes anxiety medication but he’s been off it for about the last five months – it was a scheduled tapering off under doctor’s orders.”

She added: “Bill’s a very quiet, affable chap – everybody loves him. But because he’s so quiet and not very talkative, some of those challenges have been missed. He’s been going through a situational crisis, and when someone’s not well, they don’t see the world the way we do. They see it altered.”

Friends say Bill had become increasingly withdrawn in recent weeks, rarely answering messages and skipping social events. One colleague told Daily Mail Australia: “He messaged me Friday night saying ‘I don’t think I can do this anymore’ – I thought he meant the FIFO swings. Now I’m terrified he meant everything.”

Police have now shifted the focus of their search to the Trigg Beach area and surrounding bushland trails stretching north toward Hillarys and Burns Beach. Specialist SES teams, drones and the Police Air Wing were deployed at first light today, combing dunes, car parks and clifftop paths.

Detectives stress there is still no evidence of foul play, but the circumstances have triggered a full missing persons investigation with grave welfare concerns.

Bill is described as:

174 cm tall
Slim build
Brown hair, blue eyes
Last seen wearing dark jeans, a grey hoodie and white sneakers
Carrying only a small black backpack

His phone has been switched off since approximately 1:45 pm on Saturday and there has been no activity on his bank cards or social media.

WA Police renewed their urgent appeal tonight: “We are extremely worried for Bill’s safety and wellbeing. If you were at Trigg Beach on Saturday afternoon and saw him – even if you think it’s insignificant – please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online.”

Jenny O’Byrne made an emotional direct plea: “Bill, if you’re reading this, we love you more than anything. Nothing is unfixable. Just come home, darling. Please.”

As the sun set over the same ocean Bill was last seen staring into six days ago, his mother whispered the words that now haunt every headline:

“I dropped him at the airport thinking I’d see him in two weeks. Instead he went to the beach… and disappeared.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact police immediately on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000.