A five-year-old girl who disappeared from her Taupo home overnight was found playing in a kindergarten playground this morning, police say.
The little girl, who is believed to suffer from Asperger's syndrome, went missing from her home about 5pm and was reported missing to police at 8.30pm.
Search and rescue
teams, police and a large number of members of the public searched for the girl in streets, parks kindergartens and schools until 2am today, Senior Constable Barry Shepherd told NZPA.
The girl was not able to tell police where she had been for the night.
"There is still some mystery as to where she was. There are some answers that we'll never know."
The kindergarten had a childproof fence and it was not known how she got in. Mr Shepherd said there was nothing suspicious about her disappearance.
She had wandered off before and was known to like water, he said.
"There was concern around the river and the lake, so it was good to know those concerns were unfounded."
She was found by family members today at 7am.
Police would provide the family with support on how to look after the girl, Mr Shepherd said.
- NZPA
