Aisling drowned, autopsy finds

BY DAVID GADD

LATEST: Auckland toddler Aisling Symes - whose body was found in a drain last night after she went missing over a week ago - drowned, an autopsy has found.

The results of a post mortem on the two-year-old girl are consistent with drowning, police said this afternoon.

Inspector Gary Davey, Waitakere Area Police Commander, said he was unable to comment on the specific details of the autopsy but there was no evidence of injury.

Aisling's body has been released to her family and the two-year-old's death has been referred to the coroner.

"Aisling's death is devastating for her family and for everyone who knew and loved her. Police, along with other members of the community, are also deeply saddened."

Inspector Davey said the police team remain in close contact with Aisling's family who have appreciated the many messages and gestures of support and sympathy expressed from the public.

Police expect to complete this afternoon a detailed scene examination of the drainpipe where Aisling was found.

Inspector Davey thanked the public for their caring response and support.

"The messages, flowers and other tributes have been arriving at Henderson Police Station throughout the day for the family and for our staff."

DRAIN COMPLAINTS

An investigation into why a manhole was left open in the drain where Aisling died is needed says a long serving Waitakere politician.

Police this morning revealed a man hole cover in the drain where the two year old met her death was partially open the night she disappeared.

The council has confirmed a complaint about the manhole was received 24 days before Aisling went missing.

"The council should conduct its own internal investigation," says long serving Waitakere councillor Assid Corban who represents the Henderson ward - the area of West Auckland in which Aisling lived and died.

"In these circumstances it is important that the officers now report back as to the responsibility of the council and whether or not there was any reason why the council should be at fault in anyway at all," Mr Corban said.

"It would concern me if there were complaints and no one took it up, that would really concern me."

He said he was not aware of complaints about the drain, but issues like that were the responsibility of council staff rather than the councillors.

A family who lived next to the property where Aisling was found say they moved out due to concerns about a drain manhole.

Sonya Carrington said she lived on an adjoining property for two years, but moved across the road because of concerns about the drain.

The manhole would lift off and water would come pouring out in heavy rain, Ms Carrington said.

"We called the council and some councillors and it has been looked at, but it's never been fixed yet."

Ms Carrington said she had also wanted a fence between the properties repaired in case her children got over there.

One of the reasons she moved was due to fear of her young child falling down the manhole.

She had filmed how the drain reacted in times of heavy rain and the footage showed water rushing from the drain, under a garage and toward the creek at the back of Longburn Rd properties.

One current tenant of the house Ms Carrington once lived in, Janice Neho, told NZPA the drain was "dodgy".

HOW DID AISLING GET INTO DRAIN?

Inspector Davey said part of the police inquiry would be to establish how Aisling got into the drain.

She was found 36 metres away from a manhole into the drain and 1.5m underground. Concrete cutters and a digger were required to open the drain up and retrieve the body.

He said a manhole into the drain was seen to be 8 to 10 centimetres ajar on the night Aisling went missing.

However he said: "I'm sure we would not have been able to save her on the night."

He said it had been raining that night with water sluicing down the drain.

"It would have been impossible for her to turn around if she was crawling."

DRAINPIPE SEARCHES

The drainpipe where the body was found was searched up to five times before her body was discovered.

A police officer searched it twice on the night, including climbing two metres down into the drain and shining a torch up and down the drain, calling Aisling's name with no response. The officer estimated he could see five metres either direction, Mr Davey said.

Alan Symes, father of Aisling, also looked in the drain that night, and it was understood search and rescue staff searched the drain.

Later, Waitakere city council staff searched both ends of the drain with cameras but did not find Aisling.

Mr Davey said the manhole cover was about 600mm wide and weighed about 20kg, something well beyond the capacity of a child to move.

He defended the searches, saying: "I am confident that police did everything they could that night to find her in that drain with the resources that they had."

Police later contacted the council to further search the drain, this time with cameras. Both ends of the drain were searched. Even then, police were unable to locate Aisling.

He said police "always reviewed what we had done, when and whether it needed to be done again."

Mr Davey said when police were told by the council that this drain had a history of blockages and with no leads around a possible abduction, they decided they needed a further examination of the drain.

"For me personally it was the fact that all lines of inquiry were not leading us anywhere positive," he said of the decision to return to examining the drain.

"It was really coming up with nothing really solid that was causing us concerns and to go back and reassess."

A digger was needed and it took five hours to access the drain and fire services with concrete cutters. Only then, said Mr Davey "were we able to see Aisling."

TIMELINE

MONDAY: Aisling Symes, 2, is  out of sight of mother Angela  for just moments. She was last  seen at 5.30pm with an Asian  woman. Police begin a search.

TUESDAY: Fears grow, with Aisling believed to have spent the night in the open during a storm. About 100 searchers trawl nearby waterways.

WEDNESDAY: Police make first acknowledgment they now believe it is a case of abduction. But the search of water and properties continues.

THURSDAY: Alan and Angela Symes make an emotional appeal to the suspected abductor.

FRIDAY: Police make another appeal, asking the abductor to take Aisling to a hospital.

SATURDAY: Police say they have no leads. Madeleine McCann's parents offer their sympathy.

SUNDAY: Inspector Gary Davey makes a personal appeal for anyone with information to call him.

YESTERDAY: Police swarm to a property backing on to the home from which Aisling disappeared. Aisling's body is found in a drain.

- with NZPA

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