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The disappearance of Aisling Celine Symes, a two-year-old girl of Irish and New Zealand descent, occurred on 5 October 2009 in New Zealand.〔 It was initially thought the girl had been abducted, but on 12 October 2009 it was confirmed that a body had been located in a storm water drain on a property adjoining the one from where she went missing. The body was confirmed to be Aisling's.〔 〕 Aisling's parents are Angela and Allan Symes. Allan Symes is originally from Stradbally, County Waterford in Ireland.〔 〕〔〔〔〔 He had lived in New Zealand for 18 years at the time of Aisling's disappearance.〔 〕 The last known person to see Aisling was her five-year-old sister Caitlin.〔 〕 A description issued of an Asian woman believed to have been near the crime scene prompted a number of incidents where Asian mothers were targeted by curious members of the public. The disappearance attracted headlines in New Zealand and Ireland, particularly as child abduction is an unusual occurrence in New Zealand.〔 One New Zealand police inspector claimed on ''Morning Ireland'' that only five children had disappeared in his country in the previous fifty years. ''The New Zealand Herald'' said nine children had disappeared without trace in the country in sixty years, at least two cases of which involved more than one child at a time.〔 Forty members of the New Zealand police were quickly put on the case.〔 〕 This had risen to sixty by the end of the first week and was set to rise again before her body was located. Sophie Tedmanson of ''The Times'' newspaper compared Aisling's case to that of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, a famous missing person's case in the United Kingdom. Paul Chapman did the same in ''The Daily Telegraph''.〔 Her parents have said their "thoughts and prayers" are with the Symes family. They lived in New Zealand for a time prior to their marriage.〔 The grandfather of Amber-Lee Cruickshank, a two-year-old child who disappeared in late 1992, also sent his regards, saying "It's not very nice, I tell you". == Background == Aisling Symes was playing in the garden of her mother's childhood home on Longburn Road with her five-year-old sister Caitlin at the time of her disappearance at approximately 17:00 local time on 5 October 2009.〔〔 Aisling was playing with her new toy, a Pooh Bear,〔 a toy which had recently been purchased. Angela Symes was cleaning the house and planning to sell it.〔 She kept her daughters within sight and their dog was also nearby.〔 Aisling and Caitlin joined their mother occasionally as she cleaned, even helping when she had to fix a faulty washing machine.〔〔 While working on the faulty washing machine, Angela noticed Aisling had suddenly disappeared and commenced fifteen minutes of searching before calling in the police. There were initial fears that she had drowned in a creek that ran behind the property. At least one hundred people from across the city commenced a search which had ended by 9 October when Aisling was not found. Many brought their young children along to assist,〔 overcome with fears that their own children could be at risk. Police also distributed leaflets containing photographs of Aisling.〔 By 7 October, police expressed a fear that Aisling had been abducted. Police commenced door-to-door searches. Bilingual speakers of Asian languages assisted by knocking on doors and requests for assistance were transmitted on Asian radio stations.〔 On 8 October, Angela Symes issued a plea for the safe return of her daughter, saying "Just as long as they are looking after her".〔 Aithne Potts, an aunt of Aisling's, reiterated that plea: "As long as she's safe and well we don't give a damn". A television press conference was held at which Allan Symes said: "These recent days have proven to be the most harrowing of our lives. (had ) no sleep and we feel like we’re barely existing, () surviving every moment, not knowing where Aisling is".〔 His wife was far too upset to speak,〔 reportedly breaking down into tears in a neighbouring room afterwards. Angela Symes appeared on New Zealand television the following day, holding Aisling's Pooh Bear. On 9 October, Aisling's abductor was told to deliver her to a hospital urgently.〔 On 10 October, Allan Symes appeared on ''The Marian Finucane Show'' on RTÉ Radio 1 to request the safe return of his daughter. A 10-second video of a dancing Aisling was also released by police. The footage was transmitted on New Zealand's national television. At 9:30 pm on 12 October, the police reported that they had found a body in a drain near the Symes house. At around 9:40 am on 13 October, police confirmed that the body they found was that of Aisling Symes. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Death of Aisling Symes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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