Police in New Zealand are continuing to search for a two-year-old girl who has been missing for five days.
Aisling Symes, whose father Allan is originally from Co Waterford, was last seen on Monday playing at her late grandparents’ home in Henderson, a suburb of Auckland.
Police have carried out a search in the vicinity of the house and say they are reasonably confident that Aisling is not in the area.
Inspector Gary Davey, who is leading the investigation, says the fact that Aisling has not been found after three days of searching suggests it is ‘more likely than not’ that the toddler has been abducted.
Insp Davey, speaking on Morning Ireland, said there have been two sightings of the little girl around the time that she went missing.
Neighbours say they saw Aisling walking down the road and the last sighting was of the little girl being approached by an Asian woman, who was walking a dog. After that the two-year-old has not been seen. Investigators say they are still hopeful that the toddler is still alive.
Yesterday Mr Symes made a public appeal for information about his daughter’s disappearance.
‘These recent days have proven to be the most harrowing of our lives. No sleep, and we feel like we’re barely existing,’ Allan Symes said.
Child abduction is a very rare event in New Zealand, according to Insp Davey.
He said that in the last 50 years only five children have disappeared without trace in New Zealand.
