Struggling to hold back tears, a former local business man William Spedding and his wife Margaret have revealed how close they are to breaking point, after being questioned by police about the disappearance of toddler William Tyrell.
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"We're both close to a nervous breakdown," Mr Spedding told Channel 9, his arm around visibly upset wife, Margaret.
"We'll get through this, we'll stick together and get through this."
Washing machine repairman Mr Spedding, 63, has repeatedly denied any involvement in the disappearance of three-year-old William Tyrell who vanished from a backyard in the nearby town of Kendall in September.
"We are co-operating with police," Mr Spedding said on Friday, in his first public statement since he was identified as being the focus of the police investigation earlier this week.
Margaret Spedding is visibly shaken in the interview, fighting back tears as she describes the impact the police scrutiny has had on her family.
"It's the children I'm worried about, it affects them too," she says.
"We have to do what we have to do. Mainly we want to thank all our friends and family for the support we've had."
The couple's house in the town of Bonny Hill and their business in neighbouring Laurieton were raided by police earlier this week, after details surfaced of a repair job Mr Spedding had been hired to do at the house from which William disappeared.
The couple have been unable to return to their home and have been staying with friends since the police rejuvenated the search for the missing toddler.
"It's been very difficult," Mr Spedding said. "A big thank you to family and friends for the overwhelming support we've received during this time."
Mr Spedding spoke briefly with police officers on Friday morning at the Port Macquarie police station.
Police have excavated the couple's semi-rural property in Wandoo Place and have drained a septic tank.
The children of Margaret and William Spedding have also spoken out in support of their father's innocence saying they love him and are confident he has done nothing wrong.
Mr Spedding's daughter-in-law, Aimy Spedding, told Fairfax Media his son and daughter believe he had nothing to do with William Tyrell's mysterious disappearance.
"We have spoken to him. Obviously he is very upset, his wife is devastated. Basically we spoke to him and said 'We love and have your back and we support you 100 per cent'," she said.
She said she had known Mr Spedding for 17 years, and asked people not to jump to conclusions.
No charges have been laid and police have insisted the search was one line of inquiry in their investigation.
