A police boat is searching the mouth of a west Auckland stream as fears grow by the hour for a two-year-old girl missing since last night.
Aisling Symes was last seen about 5.30pm yesterday when she wandered off from an address in Longburn Rd, Henderson.
Police said today while there was no evidence she had been abducted or of foul play, they were growing increasingly worried.
Almost 100 people are involved in the search for the girl.
The toddler was wearing a green jacket, blue jeans embroidered with flowers and white tennis shoes.
It was bitterly cold overnight in Auckland but one theory police were working on was that she may have been taken in by a young Asian woman who may have spoken to her on Longburn Rd about the time she was last seen.
Inspector Gary Davey said the woman may not speak English well and may simply not understand the fuss the little girl's disappearance would have created.
The woman is described as an Asian female in her early 30s, approximately 5'5", with shoulder length black hair, and medium build. She was wearing a black crewneck top and 3/4 length blue jeans, black leather sandals and black socks.
It is understood she had a black and grey medium-sized dog on a lead, and was walking directly behind the missing child in this sighting at about 5.30pm yesterday.
However, Mr Davey said it was unusual that if someone had taken her in for the night that they had not called police.
"If one of the neighbours had picked her up and was looking after her we would have expected them to have called us by now."
He said they were probably now past the point she may have spent the night asleep in a warm place.
"From about 9am or 10am our level of concern has been increasing steadily."
He also said she was last seen near a stream which had been searched and a police launch was patrolling the mouth of the stream where it entered Auckland's Waitemata Harbour and had searched up the creek as far as they could go.
Other police and volunteers were searching the stream on foot.
He said the family was very distraught. Victim support counsellors and the police chaplain were with the family.
"They are terribly upset but they do have a lot of support."
Residents in the area were asked to thoroughly check in and around their homes.
He said anyone who had seen Aisling, who suspected who might be looking after her or who knew the young Asian woman who may have been with her, should call police on (09) 839 0600.
If the child is not located this afternoon, police will hold a media confrence to provide an update on the status of the search.
NZPA
Listen to Inspector Gary Davey's update on the search for missing two-year-old Aisling Symes on RadioLIVE.