Tasmania Police have so far ruled out suggestions that a four-year-old’s disappearance is suspicious, saying she liked to play hide and seek in the pastxjmtzyw.
Shayla Phillips was last seen at about 2.30pm on Wednesday when she was playing with her neighbours two dogs in the backyard of their Stormlea Rd property in Stormlea.
At the time, the little girl with long brown curly hair was wearing pink leggings, a cream top, and gumboots.
However, when her mother Bianca went to check on her daughter after about 30 minutes, Shayla and the dogs were nowhere to be seen.
She searched her own home and neighbouring properties with a friend while they waited for police to arrive at the scene and assist in finding the child.
It prompted a mass search of the rural area in the state’s south east that involved about 100 personnel from Tasmania Police, the Police Drone Unit, State Emergency Service, Westpac Rescue Helicopter and specialist dogs.
The hunt continued into the night and recommenced on Thursday morning.
While one of the two dogs found its way back home, Inspector Gavin Hallett said the second was later spotted about 700m from the property at around 7pm by the helicopter, sparking a concentrated search in the pastoral area that had dense woodlands.
Police divers also checked and “cleared” four nearby dams or ponds.
Inspector Hallett said it was not uncommon for Shayla to play with the neighbours dogs because she was fond of them.
“We have an idea as to the distance a four year old girl could travel and we’re using that as our search perimeter areas and we continue with that focus at this point in time,” he said.
“Shayla is a very healthy, happy young child … In the past she enjoys a game of hide and seek and there have been occasions where they haven’t been able to locate her and has been absent for about 15 minutes but this is obviously a lot longer than that.”
He said the family were understandably upset about the young girl’s disappearance but Bianca was staying positive and hopeful that her daughter would be found soon.
Inspector Hallett said it was concerning that Shayla had not been found within 24 hours because of her young age, but did not believe her disappearance was suspicious.
“An indicator for us was that the dog was found in an area quite some distance away.
“If there had been some untoward activity, the dogs wouldn't have been gone. They would’ve been here.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 131 444.
