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Aisling Symes - Source: ONE News -
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Concerns are growing for a west Auckland toddler who has been
missing for a day.
Around 100 police and specialist search and rescue workers are
involved in an extensive search for Aisling Symes.
The two-year-old was last seen at her grandparents' home around
6pm Monday.
Police are particularly keen to hear from an Asian female who may
have spoken to Aisling on Longburn Road in Henderson at about the
time she was reportedly last seen playing with her dog.
A dive team is involved in the search of local waterways.
And an 0800 number has been established for Aisling Symes.
It is 0800 4AISLING.
Police urge anyone who has information of sightings of the missing
child to contact them immediately on that number.
She answers to her name pronounced "Ashling" and the dog is also missing.
Asiling is wearing a green parker or ski jacket and jeans embroidered with flowers on them and white tennis shoes.
She is tall for her age, of European appearance with light brown hair.
Her father, Alan Symes, says it was a tough night, as he and his wife Angela are pretty distraught.
He says he thinks it is a case of Aisling just walking off.
He says he is overwhelmed at the number of people who had turned out to search for his daughter.
"I would just like to say to everyone out there my heartfelt thanks and my wife Angela's heartfelt thanks to all the neighbours, the volunteers, the search teams, fire rescue who are out there who have just turned up."
More than 100 people spent Monday night searching for her.
Police have set up base at nearby Pomaria School to run the search operation and locals have been asked to check their homes and properties.
"We have police search and rescue...and other specialist search people, and they will be going and doing the specialist searching of the area. We also have and investigation arm which will be going door to door speaking to everybody and just trying to establish where she was seen, last seen," Inspector Gary Davey.
Police also want to hear from anyone who may have noticed a young girl walking alone in the surrounding streets of Rathgar, Kingdale and Pomaria Roads.
Davey says there had been two unconfirmed sightings of Aisling, one from a young girl and one from a neighbour.
"There is one potential sighting where it is suspected that Aisling may have been with an Asian woman at about 5.15 to 5.30 last night. We'd love to hear from that woman, if she has seen Asiling or if, hopefully, she's taken her in and looked after her."
Davey says it had been very cold in Auckland overnight, getting down to 6degC, but that Aisling was well dressed and police were not too worried about her safety in regards to the weather.
"We're hoping she's just gone to sleep somewhere or somebody's taken her in and just not called the police yet."
However the number or streams in the area is concerning say police.
