Aisling Symes
Last Monday, a few minutes drive from my house a 2 year old girl named Aisling (Ashling) Symes went missing.
This doesn't happen in NZ often, the last child to go missing was over 6 years ago. Aislings mum was fixing a broken washing machine, checking on both her daughters frequently. Her world fell apart when she looked up to find her little girl gone.
For a week Police from my community have been searching the neighbourhood, creeks and bush to try and find Aisling. Wherever you go, the movies, the gym, the supermarket, the petrol station, anywhere; the walls and windows are covered in missing persons posters. It's surreal. I've never experienced anything like it. And being SO close to home it hit hard. Our community isn't small. We live in a suburb in a city of over 1 million people. But so many people I know have been deeply affected by the case, it's so close to home, I drive past the road she went missing on almost ever day.
Last night, a week after Aisling went missing our normal tv viewing was interupted by Breaking News. We rarely get Breaking News here, not stuff that makes the normal program stop suddenly.
A small body of a child has been found in a drain/pipe less than 200m from where Aisling went missing. Police have not confirmed it is Aisling, but it's highly likely.
I cried. I couldn't help it. I was sad, angry and frustrated all at once. Everyone believed, had that little bit of hope that someone had taken her and they still had her and that she'd be found, alive and well and returned to her parents and sister.
Last Monday Auckland had a heavy spring rain. The body was found 36m down a stormwater drain, over 1m under the ground. Though Police haven't ruled out foul play it is possible Aisling crawled into the drain before being swept deeper.
This doesn't happen in NZ often, the last child to go missing was over 6 years ago. Aislings mum was fixing a broken washing machine, checking on both her daughters frequently. Her world fell apart when she looked up to find her little girl gone.
For a week Police from my community have been searching the neighbourhood, creeks and bush to try and find Aisling. Wherever you go, the movies, the gym, the supermarket, the petrol station, anywhere; the walls and windows are covered in missing persons posters. It's surreal. I've never experienced anything like it. And being SO close to home it hit hard. Our community isn't small. We live in a suburb in a city of over 1 million people. But so many people I know have been deeply affected by the case, it's so close to home, I drive past the road she went missing on almost ever day.
Last night, a week after Aisling went missing our normal tv viewing was interupted by Breaking News. We rarely get Breaking News here, not stuff that makes the normal program stop suddenly.
A small body of a child has been found in a drain/pipe less than 200m from where Aisling went missing. Police have not confirmed it is Aisling, but it's highly likely.
I cried. I couldn't help it. I was sad, angry and frustrated all at once. Everyone believed, had that little bit of hope that someone had taken her and they still had her and that she'd be found, alive and well and returned to her parents and sister.
Last Monday Auckland had a heavy spring rain. The body was found 36m down a stormwater drain, over 1m under the ground. Though Police haven't ruled out foul play it is possible Aisling crawled into the drain before being swept deeper.