A body found in a Gisborne pond on New Zealand’s North Island on Monday afternoon is believed to be that of missing five-year-old boy Khyzah, police say.
The body was found at approximately 3.45pm local time (1.45pm AEST) after the police dive squad searched a pond about 200 metres from a house on a farm in Tiniroto.
“This is obviously not the outcome we, the searchers, and the community were hoping for, and our hearts go out to Khyzah’s whānau and all those who loved him,” Tairāwhiti Area Commander Inspector Darren Paki said.
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Paki thanked everyone in the “wonderful tight-knit community” who contributed to search efforts and supported Khyzah’s family.
The young boy was last seen around 2.15pm on Sunday afternoon in the Tiniroto Rd area in Tiniroto near Gisborne. He lived on a sheep and cattle station, and his whānau gathered nearby as the police divers left the area on Monday.
Distraught family members accompanied a stretcher that brought the body from the pond to a vehicle beside a woolshed that had been the search headquarters.
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Khyzah was wearing a green hunting and fishing long-sleeve top, a nappy and no shoes when he was last seen.
It got down to around seven degrees in Gisborne on Sunday night, as police said around 200 people were out searching for the little boy late into the evening.
The high for the area was 18 degrees on Monday, but with rain developing in the evening as northwesterly winds turn fresh southwesterly.
Speaking from the scene earlier on Monday, Detective Inspector Wayne Beattie said they had been looking for the boy, but were unsure of which way he had been travelling.
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“At this point, we have had no success,” he said.
The search area was expanded on Monday afternoon, as search crews worked through steep, heavily bush-clad, terrain.
Beattie said they had more searchers than they could manage and were instead asking people to register their interest, so that they could be called upon if needed.
A woman who did not wish to be identified said the boy’s whānau was well-known in Gisborne and about 100 people came to the farm to search on Sunday afternoon.
They searched until 1am, by which time her fingers were freezing “and we couldn’t see more than two metres in the fog”.
“We drove home in a convoy the fog was so bad”.
She and others returned on Monday to rejoin the search.
Regina Kahaki, who was among a group that travelled from Tolaga Bay to join the search, said when they heard a child had gone missing, everyone rallied.
“This pulls on the old heartstrings.”
The weather in the area had been freezing, she said, with quite bad fog.
Crowds of searchers had gathered at the rural property on Monday afternoon, gathering around a make-shift hub.
Paki, the area commander inspector, said multiple search teams were on the ground and a helicopter was deployed on Thursday.
Search and rescue dogs were also deployed, along with other specialist search groups.
Paki said the search was focused on the area around Tiniroto Rd in the vicinity of Bushy Knoll Rd.
“Police would like to recognise the overwhelming outpouring of support from the community, with many people turning up wanting to help.
“We appreciate there are many people keen to help get Khyzah home to his family.
“At this stage, we are asking that only those with search and rescue skills/experience come forward.”
Police urged Tiniroto residents to please check their properties and any outbuildings for the boy.
Speaking to RNZ, local farmer Alex Campbell said a missing child was every family’s worst nightmare.
After being notified of the child’s absence on Sunday afternoon, the community had scrambled to mobilise and search were they could before nightfall, he said.
The terrain included waterways, steep hills and forestry – it was like finding a needle in a haystack, Campbell said.
This article originally appeared on Stuff and is republished here with permission.
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