Taxi sent to woman's 111 callout

By BRIDGET CARTER


Missing Auckland model Iraena Asher called 111 for help the night she disappeared from Piha - and police ordered her a taxi.

Ms Asher dialled 111 from a house around 9pm. Soon after, police rang back to tell her a taxi would be there in 20 minutes. But the taxi did not pick her up.

Police came five hours later after a resident made a second 111 call. An inquiry is now being held into the handling of Ms Asher's plea for help.

Yesterday, police cordoned off a house in Piha that may provide clues to the whereabouts of the 25-year-old part-time model and Auckland University student.

Ms Asher's younger sister, Lainie Asher, 19, said she understood that her sister was not making a lot of sense when she called the police.

But she believed they could have done more.

"I feel they should have taken a bit more action with the telephone call," she said.

Her cousin Natasha Keating said she had no idea why Iraena called police other than that she was distressed and might have been with people she did not know well or did not trust.

"Something must have happened for her to call. She was upset about something."


Ms Keating said the family were feeling stressed.

"It would be really easy to get hurt, upset and angry by it," she said.

"But besides that phone call, the family has really appreciated the police efforts."

Lainie Asher said her sister had driven out to Piha with friends from her Ponsonby flat on Sunday.

Family believed she was emotionally fragile after a recent break-up with a long-term boyfriend, and their concern about her was compounded by the fact that she had bi-polar disorder, which she had been controlling with medication for 10 years.

When she was sick, she would contact random people and could turn away from her family.

"Emotional things can contribute to her becoming sick," she said.


Police would reveal little yesterday about why Ms Asher called them or why no one went to Piha then.

They said she left the house after hearing the taxi was on the way.


Inspector Barry Smalley of the police northern communication centre said there had been cases where police had sent taxis when people were stranded.

But Alert Taxis manager Brian Lough said he had never heard of that happening.


Piha resident Julia Woodhouse picked Ms Asher up around 9.30pm. At her home, she gave Ms Asher a hot shower and a dressing gown to wear, but Ms Asher wandered off again around 1am. Ms Woodhouse called the police at 1.19am.

A sergeant and other officers arrived about half an hour later.


Police yesterday suspended the search for Ms Asher and said they would carry on looking for her today by helicopter.

The cordoned-off property is in Garden Rd, Piha. Senior Sergeant John Sutton said the house was occupied for a few months by a man in his forties who had been gone from it possibly since the weekend.

He would not say why the property was of interest to police.

"It is early stages, but we are treating it as a possible scene."

Mr Sutton said it was unlikely Ms Asher would be found alive.


* Forensic tests have been completed on Carla Scott's car, which was found in a carpark at Arthurs Pass more than a week ago, but police have no further clues to her whereabouts.

It has now been 11 days since the 26-year-old teacher was seen at a Christchurch service station after telling a friend she was heading for Arthurs Pass.