THE LOCAL council where two-year-old Aisling Symes’s body was found could face prosecution over her death.
It was claimed last night that Waitakere City Council was aware of the potential dangers surrounding the storm water drain where Aisling’s body was found.
An autopsy conducted yesterday on the toddler, whose body was found in a storm water drain on Monday night, showed no sign of injuries and suggests she drowned.
She had been missing for a week after wandering off from her late grandparents’ house in the Auckland suburb of Henderson.
Aisling, whose father, Alan, is from Co Waterford, was watching her mother, Angela, fix a tap on a washing machine when she wandered away. The family’s other child, Caitlin, is five years old. In a statement, the family said Aisling’s loss is “unbearable”.
The investigation’s lead inspector, Gary Davey, said the postmortem showed Aisling’s death was “consistent with drowning”. “Aisling’s death is devastating for her family and for everyone who knew and loved her. Police, along with other members of the community, are also deeply saddened,” Insp Davey said.
Aisling’s body was found metres from her late grandparents’ home. Though the police have not ruled out foul play, Insp Davey said he believed “it is more likely than not she was there from the start and it is a case of misadventure”.
Neighbours told television station TVNZ last night they repeatedly complained to the council about the manhole cover coming off the drain, the last time being just days before Aisling went missing.
“The back yard floods and the manhole is constantly lifted off and we’ve complained and complained,” says Sonya Carrington, a former tenant of Longburn Road.
Waitakere mayor Bob Harvey told TVNZ he was determined to find out if a quicker council response to problems with drains could have saved Aisling’s life.
“We will ask the questions. They’ll be hard questions and I will make sure they are asked ... That I promise you,” he said.
In a statement yesterday, the Symes family said the loss of Aisling was unbearable: “It’s hard to imagine life without her, without her infectious smile and bubbly nature. Even though we grieve for our loss, our hearts go out to the parents and extended families of children in New Zealand and elsewhere who are still missing.”