Aisling inquiry police numbers to grow

Inspector Gary Davey makes a personal plea for whoever took Aisling Symes to come forward or drop her off at a safe place. Photo / NZPA

The investigation into the disappearance of two-year-old Aisling Symes in Auckland is to be further boosted by additional police staff.

Already about 60 police are engaged in trying to locate Aisling, who went missing about 5.15pm last Monday outside her deceased grandparents' home in Longburn Rd, Henderson.

Inquiry head Inspector Gary Davey said today those numbers would be increased again today and tomorrow.

He said police were continuing with an area canvas today and were still searching for a breakthrough in the case.

They were working through a list of persons of interest and through reports of suspicious activity, from information supplied by members of the public.

Meanwhile, a mystery man holding a broken umbrella is on a growing list of "people of interest" to police hunting the missing toddler.

Cherie Tahi, who lives next door to the house Aisling was visiting, told police she saw a man behaving strangely on the street before and after the toddler vanished.

"He was standing across the road holding a broken umbrella. He was wearing brown pants and he was tall," she said.

"My husband noticed him too. I saw him earlier in the afternoon, he walked up the street towards Pomaria Rd.

"He just stood there watching while everyone was rushing around looking for this little girl. I went up to him and asked if he'd seen her and he just said 'no'.

"It was queer that he just stood there while we were frantically searching."

Tahi said the man, who could have been Asian or Polynesian, refused to tell her his name but told her where he lived.

"That's not all he said to me ... but I have given that information to police and they can investigate it."

Inspector Davey, said last night that the list of "persons of interest" was "ever-growing" but would not say if police had spoken to the man.

"We are profiling a number of persons in our inquiries and routinely assessing all information being received from the general public.

"If a specific individual becomes the subject of our search we will formally issue a description of them."

Aisling was with her parents Angela and Alan and sister Caitlyn, 5, when she disappeared.

Angela was helping prepare her dead parents' house for its new owners when she realised her youngest daughter was missing.

The last confirmed sighting of Aisling was with an Asian woman walking a dog.

Davey confirmed officers had asked vets to watch for anyone who fitted the woman's description and said they were working through a list of 120 dog owners provided by the Waitakere City Council.

About 60 detectives and uniform officers continued to work on the case yesterday.

In other developments police gathered CCTV footage from businesses around Longburn Rd and released images of Aisling dancing.

Davey said there had been no breakthrough yesterday and "no evidence at all to suggest what's happened to her".

He said abduction was the most likely conclusion.

Davey was reluctant to reveal specifics of the investigation but said it had a "large number" of phases, including investigating known sex offenders.

"The [investigation of] sex offenders is a matter of prioritisation - their type of offending, their behaviour and how close they are to the area, and not just within a couple of streets.

"We are looking at all of Henderson and then we will look at wider Auckland.

"We're not just using our [Waitakere] databases. We are getting through this list as best as we can.

"We assume the list will continue to grow as we widen our search for her."

At least four Facebook groups have been set up to support the search, with almost 7700 members on the official site by 7pm last night.

By the same stage an official website raising funds for the hunt had reached almost $1500.

Hundreds of people have left goodwill messages on the family Facebook group, prompting a relative to reply: "Alan and Angela are overwhelmed by the support they are getting and by everyone's willingness to help in any way they can, and thankful for their prayers too and messages of support."

Tahi was the first neighbour to help the Symes look for Aisling. She was outside having a cigarette when she saw Angela "rushing around frantically".

"I checked our pool and went over the back to check the drains. The grass hasn't been mowed for a while because of the rain so you would have been able to see little scuff marks, footprints. But there were none. We couldn't see her ... then the police were called."

Tahi said police combed her house and garage in pairs, checking every room and cupboard.

"They were very thorough. They searched everything, calling her name at the same time."

Tahi broke down in tears at the possibility Aisling had been abducted.

"This little girl ... they'd better bring her back. Otherwise they're going to get it 300 times over."

Another resident said police had been to her property "heaps" of times since Aisling went missing.

"They came and searched our whole section and under our house, some in normal uniform and some search and rescue guys," said one woman.

"On Monday night there were about 12 of them all over the place ... with torches. They came in groups of two or three at a time and then some came back by themselves, sometimes we didn't know they were under the house until they came out but we didn't care - anything to help them do their job."

The woman has young children and said on a fine day they would usually be playing in the front yard near where Aisling was last seen. "The reality is, it could have been anyone's child. It's scary, it's so gutting that we didn't see anything ... normally our kids are out there in full force playing."

While the search remains focused on Henderson, Davey said the net would be widened as required.

The amount of information coming in from the investigation team and public meant he was looking to bolster his team with officers from around Auckland.

"The investigators are working very long hours. It is distressing for police working on the case but myself and the team are hopeful that someone is looking after Aisling. We're hopeful, committed and motivated to getting her back safe."