The body of a child believed to be Auckland toddler Aisling Symes has been found.
A spokesperson for the Symes family told Radio New Zealand late on Monday night police had informed them the body is that of the two-year-old girl who had been missing for a week.
Police and the Fire Service were called to a property in the western suburb of Henderson on Monday evening near where the girl was last seen.
The officer in charge of the inquiry, Inspector Gary Davey, confirmed a child's body was found in a drain just before 8pm on Monday.
The body was at the back of a Longburn Road property, near the home of the girl's deceased grandparents.
Mr Davey said it is too early to say how the body got into the drain, or how long it had been there. The area is being treated as a crime scene.
Aisling Symes disappeared about 5.30pm last Monday, prompting an extensive search of the surrounding area, including waterways.
Police and the Fire Service had been working at the back of the Longburn Road property since Monday evening and a crowd of about 150 people had gathered to await the outcome.
