North Shore police are appealing to the public to help identify the body of a woman found floating in the Waitemata Harbour yesterday.

Police are worried about the health of a Ngaruawahia man who's been missing since Wednesday.

Police are believed to have tracked the movements in Waikato of two men who knew Carmen Thomas - at the time that her car was abandoned in Hamilton.

Police say the discovery of missing four-year-old Lucas Ward's body was a relief for searchers but "incredibly distressing" for his family.

Police hunting for the killer of Carmen Thomas returned to a stretch of rural road in southeast Auckland yesterday to search for clues.

Police investigating the disappearance of Carmen Thomas say they are closer to catching her killer and Facebook yesterday produced a new clue.

As police pull out of the search for 4-year-old Lucas Ward, the head of the investigation has admitted the Gisborne boy may never be found, but his family are not giving up.

The grandfather of missing Gisborne toddler Lucas Ward says the family hasn't given up hope and will keep on searching.

As the search for Gisborne pre-schooler Lucas Ward enters its sixth day, police have no plans to scale down their search.

The disappearance of preschooler Lucas Ward has "ripped at the heart" of the Gisborne community.

Gisborne police were again checking the Waimata River for missing boy Lucas Ward this morning, despite being "99 per cent sure" he wasn't there.

Police looking for Gisborne 4-year-old Lucas Ward have been searching wardrobes in homes near where the youngster disappeared.

Police searching for missing Gisborne boy Lucas Ward have for the first time admitted he may have been the victim of foul play. They also want two kayakers seen at the time of Lucas' disappearance to come forward.