Asian woman sought in missing toddler case

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TRIBUTE: A boy lays a bouquet amid flowers and toys left outside the property which had belonged to the Symes family.

SCENE: How the Aishling Symes tragedy unfolded.

GRIEF: A woman places flowers outside the property which had belonged to the Symes family.

GRIM ANNOUNCEMENT: Inspector Gary Davey of Waitakere police holds a press conference giving details of their overnight findings.

SAD FIND: Scene of where searchers were digging behind a west Auckland property overnight near the location where Aisling Symes went missing a week ago.

SUPPORT: Onlookers light candles at the scene where two-year-old Aisling Symes' body was found.

GRIM NEWS: Inspector Gary Davey at a media conference in Pomaria Rd, west Auckland.

SAD OUTCOME: The shocked faces of locals shortly after it was announced that a body of a young child was found near where Aisling Symes went missing.

WATCHING AND WAITING: The crowd gathered outside the west Auckland property where searchers were digging, near the location where Aisling Symes went missing a week ago.

ALERT: Scenes from Pomaria Road in Henderson, Auckland where dozens turned up after police cordoned an area in the search for Aisling Symes.

EMOTIONAL PLEA: Alan and Angela Symes said the last few days had been the most harrowing of their lives.

QUIZZED: An Asian couple who were babysitting their friend's child 20-month-old Ellen - who looks remarkably similar to missing toddler Aisling Symes - were questioned by police in Auckland.

WHERE IS AISLING? Family spokesperson Aithne Potts speaks to the media during a press conference at Henderson police station.

AISLING SYMES: The two-year old had disappeared from the home of her late grandparents about 5.15pm on October 5.

SEARCHERS ASSISTED: Police had brought in dogs to search for the missing toddler.

DIFFICULT TASK: Earlier in the search, Inspector Gary Davey speaks to the media about the hunt for Aisling.

WATERWAY: Police search one of the waterways near the street where the two-year-old went missing.

FRANTIC HUNT: Police search one of the waterways near the street where the child went missing.

NO SIGN: Two members of the search team on the street where the toddler went missing.

PARK: Police search a park near where Aisling Symes went missing.

AREA COMBED: Police search one of the waterways near the street where toddler Aisling Symes went missing.

AISLING SYMES: The toddler disappeared from the home of her late grandparents on October 5, when her mother turned her back briefly.

AREA SEARCHED: A police officer speaks to a local resident in Henderson after Aisling went missing.

ON HAND: A police officer dons his high-visibility vest as he enters Pomaria Primary School which is the base for the search for missing toddler Aisling Symes.

HQ: Searchers enter Pomaria Primary School which is the base for the search and rescue co-ordination for toddler Aisling Symes.

NEIGHBOURHOOD: Children walk down the road after a two year old girl who went missing from her home in Longburn Road in Henderson.

COMBING THE AREA: Searchers scour Pomoria Road near the home of a two year old girl who went missing from her home in Longburn Road in Henderson.

GRAVE CONCERNS: A police officer and search team member outside the home of a two-year-old girl who went missing from her home in Longburn Road in Henderson.

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Supplied

MISSING: Police hold grave concerns for two-year-old Aisling Symes.

Longburn Rd, Henderson

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Police have called off the search for missing West Auckland toddler Aisling Symes, to resume tomorrow morning.

Aisling, two, went missing from Longburn Rd in the Auckland suburb of Henderson about 5.30pm yesterday.

More than 100 people have been searching the area, including a creek and scoured a series of Henderson streams for her.

She was with her parents, who were cleaning a family member's vacant home, when she walked away and was last seen talking to an Asian woman with a dog on Longburn Rd, Henderson about 5.30pm yesterday.

Aisling had been seen with her own dog, but shortly afterwards the dog returned home without her.

Police don't suspect anything sinister in her disappearance, but said their investigation would consider possible foul play as a matter of routine.

Police have issued another appeal for the Asian woman to contact them.

She was in her 30s, about 165cm tall with a medium build, long straight black hair and reportedly wearing black socks with black sandals.

She was wearing a black crew neck top, with three-quarter length sleeves, three-quarter length blue jeans, black leather sandals and black socks.

The woman had a black and grey medium sized dog on a lead.

She was directly behind the missing child, police said.

Police have set up a phone number with any information about the case, 0800 4 AISLING (0800 42475464).

Police said they understood Aisling was with her parents who were cleaning her grandparents' vacant house when she disappeared.

"They were just tidying up the premises and they just turned around and Aisling had gone, she had just wandered off," Inspector Gary Davey told Radio New Zealand.

Aisling's aunty, Aithne Potts, said the family were just hoping and praying for her niece's safe return.

"It's been 16 hours now, so long since she went missing. Everyone in the house is just hoping, praying, she's safe."

Mrs Potts said Aisling was a typical two-year-old girl. "She's a lively, cheerful little girl and she's just so gorgeous, that's all."

The family belonged to the Ranui Baptist Church and the church was praying for the toddler, she said.

Inspector Davey said it had now been 22 hours since the two-year-old went missing.

He said the disappearance of a child was the "worst fear of any parent".

"My fears, and the police fears, are growing by the hour but we are still hopeful that we will find her alive and well."

Police had found a t-shirt in the creek but there was no indication yet that it belonged to the missing child.

Earlier, Inspector Davey said they were probably now past the point she may have spent the night asleep in a warm place.

"From about 9am or 10am our level of concern has been increasing steadily."

He also said she was last seen near a stream which had been searched and a police launch was patrolling the mouth of the stream where it entered Auckland's Waitemata Harbour and had searched up the creek as far as they could go.

Other police and volunteers were searching the stream on foot.

PARENTS 'JUST TURNED THEIR BACKS FOR ONE MINUTE'

Family member Ericka Lee described the Aisling as a "beautiful and happy little girl."

The child's parents Angela and Alan Symes were good to Aisling and her older sister Caitlin, Ms Lee said.

"They had just been down the back, clearing the yard. They'd just turned their backs for one minute and she was gone".

Ms Lee said Aisling was the same age as her own daughter.

"Aisling is a beautiful little girl, very happy and she's always smiling and laughing."

Aisling's grandmother Ailwyn Symes said the family were "doing okay".

"We're all just staying together and supporting each other".

Around 20 members of the extended family have arrived at the west Auckland home to support Aisling's parents.

Aisling's father, Alan Symes, said earlier that he was overwhelmed at the number of people who had turned out to search for his daughter.

"I would just like to say to everyone out there my heartfelt thanks and my wife Angela's heartfelt thanks to all the neighbours, the volunteers, the search teams, fire rescue who are out there who have just turned up."

The family's Border Collie dog went missing about the same time as Aisling, but returned several minutes later.

- with NZPA