Disappearance of Aisling Symes
Encyclopedia
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 New Zealand's police force 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".
, 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. [We’ve had] no sleep and we feel like we’re barely existing, [just] 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.
A woman in her thirties of Asia
n extraction with a dog of black and grey colours on a lead was seen near Aisling prior to her disappearance. She was of a height of 165 centimetres. Her origin is unclear and police said she could be from India
, Korea
, Thailand
, Vietnam
or other Asian ethnicities. Vets were instructed to watch out for such a woman. A woman described as fitting this description was targeted by a group of people and suffered trauma as a result. Another Asian woman whose child appeared European was questioned by police and was found to be so similar to Aisling that a photograph had to be held closely to confirm the difference. An Asian couple of middle-age were also quizzed over the origin of a European toddler whom it turned out they were babysitting. Police urged people not to approach any other similar women and not to unnecessarily harass "Asian women walking down the road". Police identified the woman after Aisling's body was found. It was revealed that she was from the Philippines
, has a history of mental illness
, and had previously tried to lure children into her car with lollies. Despite this she was unable to assist police with the Symes case.
A man was also seen playing with a broken umbrella.
Detective Inspector Graham Bell
, presenter of the television series Police Ten 7
, suggested Aisling may have been taken by "a nutty woman". He thought it odd that the Asian woman wore sandals and socks "which in our society is regarded as a little bit eccentric". President of the United States
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Ernie Allen said most child abductors in his country were women and that she would have to construct a story for the sudden appearance of a child.
Another case of mistaken identity occurred when a woman murdered her husband and police commenced door-to-door enquiries they found nobody had heard any shots being fired and assumed they had come to ask about the Aisling Symes case.
was ajar about 10 cm and the first police officer looked down the pipe and there was no sign of a body. "He called out and did not hear anything other than running water," Mr Davey said. The officer then searched towards the stream and 15 minutes later returned to the manhole, climbed about two metres down the larger access pipe after moving the manhole cover back. He shone his torch down the smaller 375mm drain at the bottom and could see nothing. He also called her name but there was no response. "He believed he could see five metres up into the drain and five metres down the drain." The drain was searched for a third time later in the night by search and rescue searchers, Mr Davey said. During the search Aisling's father Alan Symes also climbed down the pipe and looked for his daughter, said Mr Davey. Mr Davey says it is too early to tell how Aisling got into the drain, but police believe no foul play was involved. "I believe it is more likely or not that she was there from the start and I believe it is misadventure," he says. He says police are still treating the Henderson property as a crime scene, and that they are keeping an "open mind" about the situation.
Waitakere Police later said the results of a post mortem on Aisling Symes were consistent with drowning. Inspector Gary Davey, Waitakere Area Police Commander, said he was unable to comment on the specific details of the autopsy but there was no evidence of injury. Aisling's body was later released to her family.
, "went nuts" when news of Aisling's body emerged. #Aisling, a trending topic on Twitter
, was popular and 25,000 Facebook
ers swapped messages on the matter.
was instead sent on to Henderson to assist in the Symes case. Rayadurgam's family argue that police concentrated all their resources on the Symes case, suggesting that skin colour had made the difference and asking why they could not be treated equally. Police had not been quick to react when called upon to assist in the search and when they arrived they soon allegedly departed the scene to search for Aisling. 3 News
made efforts to ask police about this but received no response. Missing white woman syndrome
was implied.
medium Deb Webber
by state broadcaster Television New Zealand
(TVNZ), a move which was later criticised due to Aisling only having disappeared two days previously. One policeman said when questioned if the force would use comments made by Webber on Breakfast: "I'm totally aghast - it seems like a totally commercial play". TVNZ responded with the following statement: "We're not trying to push a psychic message to make money and get ratings".
Hundreds of e-mails were sent to the station. New Zealand Skeptics
chair Vicki Hyde
criticised Webber's prediction saying it "was wrong" stating "TVNZ were guilty of using the situation as a marketing ploy" and adding "It's not sensing murder, it's sensing opportunity, sensing exploitation and there's nothing worse than exploiting parents who are under such strain and stresses." Allan Symes responded on Facebook with the statement: "Please do not suggest psychics, the family are a strong Christian family and will not consider this under any circumstances".
". The funeral ceremony concluded with the release of white dove
s as Aisling's body was taken from the church.
The New Zealand Herald issued an editorial which began, "Throughout the week that little Aisling Symes was missing, the country felt as small as a village". Tim Hume of The Sunday Star-Times
called her "the toddler who united a country".
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
descent, occurred on 5 October 2009 in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. 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
County Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
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
Morning Ireland
Morning Ireland is the breakfast news programme broadcast by RTÉ Radio 1 in Ireland and is noted as that country's most listened to radio programme. It is broadcast each weekday morning between 07.00 and 09.00 and is presented by Aine Lawlor, Cathal Mac Coille, Rachael English and Aoife Kavanagh...
that only five children had disappeared in his country in the previous fifty years. The New Zealand Herald
The New Zealand Herald
- External links :* * *...
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 New Zealand's police force 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
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper compared Aisling's case to that of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann
Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
Madeleine McCann disappeared on the evening of Thursday, 3 May 2007. She was on holiday with her parents and twin siblings in the Algarve region of Portugal. The British girl went missing from an apartment, in the central area of the resort of Praia da Luz, a few days before her fourth...
, a famous missing person's case in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Paul Chapman did the same in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
. 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 BearWinnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
, 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. [We’ve had] no sleep and we feel like we’re barely existing, [just] 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
The Marian Finucane Show
The Marian Finucane Show is an Irish radio programme, presented by Marian Finucane. It airs Saturday - Sunday at 11:00 to 13:00. It is the highest-rating weekend radio show in Ireland....
on RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
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.
Suspects and cases of mistaken identity
A number of suspects and several cases of mistaken identity resulted from the case.A woman in her thirties of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n extraction with a dog of black and grey colours on a lead was seen near Aisling prior to her disappearance. She was of a height of 165 centimetres. Her origin is unclear and police said she could be from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
or other Asian ethnicities. Vets were instructed to watch out for such a woman. A woman described as fitting this description was targeted by a group of people and suffered trauma as a result. Another Asian woman whose child appeared European was questioned by police and was found to be so similar to Aisling that a photograph had to be held closely to confirm the difference. An Asian couple of middle-age were also quizzed over the origin of a European toddler whom it turned out they were babysitting. Police urged people not to approach any other similar women and not to unnecessarily harass "Asian women walking down the road". Police identified the woman after Aisling's body was found. It was revealed that she was from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, has a history of mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
, and had previously tried to lure children into her car with lollies. Despite this she was unable to assist police with the Symes case.
A man was also seen playing with a broken umbrella.
Detective Inspector Graham Bell
Graham Bell
Graham Bell may refer to:*Alexander Graham Bell , Scottish/Canadian/American inventor*Graham Bell , former Scottish Advocate Depute*Graham E. Bell, astronomer*Graham J...
, presenter of the television series Police Ten 7
Police Ten 7
Police Ten 7 is a New Zealand reality television show, produced by Screentime with the assistance of the New Zealand Police for Television New Zealand's TV2. The show profiles wanted criminals and asks the public to help the police in their search for them. In addition, the programme follows the...
, suggested Aisling may have been taken by "a nutty woman". He thought it odd that the Asian woman wore sandals and socks "which in our society is regarded as a little bit eccentric". President of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is a private, non-profit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress.-Establishment and overview:...
Ernie Allen said most child abductors in his country were women and that she would have to construct a story for the sudden appearance of a child.
Another case of mistaken identity occurred when a woman murdered her husband and police commenced door-to-door enquiries they found nobody had heard any shots being fired and assumed they had come to ask about the Aisling Symes case.
Reward
A businessman offered a $3,000 reward but police refused it, ruling out the need for any such money. He had claimed his staff had been "emotionally affected" by the case so he decided to assist. Lord Ashcroft offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of the child.Finding the body
Monday 12th at just before 8:00 pm police activity increased as they closed in on a house in West Auckland. Police later confirmed in a press conference in the morning of 13 October that the body found that night in a drainpipe in Henderson was that of two-year-old missing toddler Aisling Symes. Police inspector Gary Davey, head of the Aisling inquiry, says the body was removed from the scene at 1am of 13 October. Mr Davey says the body of Aisling probably lay in a drain within metres of scores of police and searchers for days after she disappeared. The body of the two-year-old was found on the night of 12 October in a drain a short distance from the house she disappeared from on Monday last week. The drain, that was two metres below the ground, was thoroughly searched by officers with special search techniques used to check the drain. Mr Davey says cameras were used to reach 9–10 metres into the drain, but the search proved fruitless. A decision was then made to dig up part of the drain, a digger was called in and it took five hours until Aisling's body was finally found inside. When police were first called to the Longburn Rd house on Monday last week a police officer searched the pipe three times, Mr Davey said. The manhole coverManhole cover
A manhole cover is a removable plate forming the lid over the opening of a manhole, to prevent anyone from falling in and to keep unauthorized persons out....
was ajar about 10 cm and the first police officer looked down the pipe and there was no sign of a body. "He called out and did not hear anything other than running water," Mr Davey said. The officer then searched towards the stream and 15 minutes later returned to the manhole, climbed about two metres down the larger access pipe after moving the manhole cover back. He shone his torch down the smaller 375mm drain at the bottom and could see nothing. He also called her name but there was no response. "He believed he could see five metres up into the drain and five metres down the drain." The drain was searched for a third time later in the night by search and rescue searchers, Mr Davey said. During the search Aisling's father Alan Symes also climbed down the pipe and looked for his daughter, said Mr Davey. Mr Davey says it is too early to tell how Aisling got into the drain, but police believe no foul play was involved. "I believe it is more likely or not that she was there from the start and I believe it is misadventure," he says. He says police are still treating the Henderson property as a crime scene, and that they are keeping an "open mind" about the situation.
Waitakere Police later said the results of a post mortem on Aisling Symes were consistent with drowning. Inspector Gary Davey, Waitakere Area Police Commander, said he was unable to comment on the specific details of the autopsy but there was no evidence of injury. Aisling's body was later released to her family.
Reaction
The Internet, according to Tim Hume of The Sunday Star-TimesThe Sunday Star-Times
The Sunday Star-Times is a New Zealand newspaper published each weekend by the Fairfax group in Auckland. It covers both national and international news, and is a member of the New Zealand Press Association and Newspaper Publishers Association of New Zealand.-History:The Sunday Star-Times was first...
, "went nuts" when news of Aisling's body emerged. #Aisling, a trending topic on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, was popular and 25,000 Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
ers swapped messages on the matter.
Allegations of police racism
The family of Srikanth Rayadurgam, a 23-year-old Indian student reported missing on 1 October 2009, criticised police in Auckland for leaving them to their own devices in the search for their loved one. A police diving team which had arrived from WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
was instead sent on to Henderson to assist in the Symes case. Rayadurgam's family argue that police concentrated all their resources on the Symes case, suggesting that skin colour had made the difference and asking why they could not be treated equally. Police had not been quick to react when called upon to assist in the search and when they arrived they soon allegedly departed the scene to search for Aisling. 3 News
3 News
3 News is the television, internet and radio news service of New Zealand's TV3. Its flagship bulletin, which airs every evening at 6:00pm, is anchored by Hilary Barry and Mike McRoberts. Carolyn Robinson and Simon Shepherd are weekend and substitute anchors...
made efforts to ask police about this but received no response. Missing white woman syndrome
Missing white woman syndrome
Missing white woman syndrome or missing pretty girl syndrome is a term used by some media and social critics to describe the seemingly disproportionate degree of coverage in television, radio, newspaper and magazine reporting of a misfortune, most often a missing person case, involving a young,...
was implied.
TVNZ psychic disagreement
The family were introduced to Sensing MurderSensing Murder
Sensing Murder is a television series in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, in which alleged psychics are asked to act as psychic detectives to help solve famous unsolved murder cases in each country. The psychics have not managed to solve any of the cases.-Format:Each episode included...
medium Deb Webber
Deb Webber
Debra Webber is a psychic detective on the New Zealand television series Sensing Murder.- Controversy :Critics have pointed out her show uses cold reading and other techniques used by entertainers like Derren Brown...
by state broadcaster Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to, and stylized as TVNZ, is a government-owned corporation television network broadcasting in New Zealand and parts of the Pacific. It operates TV1, TV2, TVNZ7, TVNZ Heartland, TVNZ U and new media services....
(TVNZ), a move which was later criticised due to Aisling only having disappeared two days previously. One policeman said when questioned if the force would use comments made by Webber on Breakfast: "I'm totally aghast - it seems like a totally commercial play". TVNZ responded with the following statement: "We're not trying to push a psychic message to make money and get ratings".
Hundreds of e-mails were sent to the station. New Zealand Skeptics
New Zealand Skeptics
The New Zealand Skeptics comprises a network of New Zealanders including magicians, teachers, scientists, health professionals and many others from all walks of life...
chair Vicki Hyde
Vicki Hyde
Vicki Hyde is a New Zealand science writer and editor, and chair-entity of the New Zealand Skeptics. She is co-owner with her husband Peter of a New Zealand-based software and web development company, Webcentre Ltd....
criticised Webber's prediction saying it "was wrong" stating "TVNZ were guilty of using the situation as a marketing ploy" and adding "It's not sensing murder, it's sensing opportunity, sensing exploitation and there's nothing worse than exploiting parents who are under such strain and stresses." Allan Symes responded on Facebook with the statement: "Please do not suggest psychics, the family are a strong Christian family and will not consider this under any circumstances".
Funeral
Hundreds of people attended Aisling's funeral at the Ranui Baptist Church on 16 October 2009. Screens were installed outside the church and in neighbouring buildings. Aisling's coffin was covered with the flags of New Zealand and Ireland and her Pooh Bear sat on top. A photographic slideshow occurred alongside the hymn "Be Thou My VisionBe Thou My Vision
Be Thou My Vision is a traditional hymn from Ireland, which is commonly attributed to Dallán Forgaill. It is popular among English-speaking churches around the world.-History:...
". The funeral ceremony concluded with the release of white dove
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
s as Aisling's body was taken from the church.
The New Zealand Herald issued an editorial which began, "Throughout the week that little Aisling Symes was missing, the country felt as small as a village". Tim Hume of The Sunday Star-Times
The Sunday Star-Times
The Sunday Star-Times is a New Zealand newspaper published each weekend by the Fairfax group in Auckland. It covers both national and international news, and is a member of the New Zealand Press Association and Newspaper Publishers Association of New Zealand.-History:The Sunday Star-Times was first...
called her "the toddler who united a country".
External links
- The Search for Aisling Symes — Photo Gallery at The New Zealand HeraldThe New Zealand Herald- External links :* * *...
- Aisling Symes parents speak — Video at The New Zealand HeraldThe New Zealand Herald- External links :* * *...