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The distraught parents of two-year-old Aisling Symes are pleading for her return, three days after she went missing.
The couple made the appeal as police visited known sex offenders in the west Auckland suburb of Henderson where the toddler disappeared on Monday evening.
It may be a parent's worst nightmare, but Alan and Angela Symes can't even manage those at the moment.
"These recent days have proven to be the most harrowing of our lives, no sleep and we feel like we're barely existing," says Alan.
It's the small things keeping the couple awake at night, like has her nappy been changed.
The major search has been scaled back, temporary search headquarters at a local school shut down as police take Operation Longburn from the streets to behind closed doors where a team of 40 investigators continue to profile people of concern.
Inspector Gary Davey of Waitakere police says officers are looking at not only "persons of interest" but also "behaviour of interest" in the last few weeks.
Police are are also using local dog registration records to try and locate the Asian woman seen walking her dog near Aisling shortly before her disappearance.
They are still receiving dozens of calls from the public, but are not encouraging over zealous behaviour.
Davey says police don't want to see the public persecuting an Asian woman walking down the road.
They are also considering more sinister scenarios like the possibility Aisling was hit by a car then picked up and driven away by a panicked driver.
The family were questioned at length by police on Wednesday night. Police are also working closely with Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey.
He says he has been driving around the streets, talking to people who've been searching and asking then have you got any clues to Aisling's disappearance.
He says local people have been disappointed as they thought the young girl would be found in 24 hours.
Police are urging anyone with information to call their hotline on 0800 4 AISLING, or numerically it's 0800 424 75464.
