Kristi Abrahams (centre), the mother of missing six-year-old KieshaAbrahams, is comforted by family at Mount Druitt police station / AAP THE mother and stepfather of missing six-year-old Kiesha Abrahams say they are going through hell over her disappearance, as specialist homicide detectives take charge of the hunt for the child.
As the search for the western Sydney girl entered its third day today, police said they were puzzled no-one except her parents appeared to have seen Kiesha in the last three weeks.
Detective Inspector Russell Oxford of the NSW Police homicide squad said Kiesha's grandmother last saw her on July 7 when the little girl visited her newborn brother in hospital.It is around this time that family friends last reported sighting the little girl, who has been described as happy, quiet and not given to wandering off.
She was last seen at 9.30pm (AEST) on Saturday when her mother, Kristi Abrahams, put her to bed in pink pyjamas and a purple Pumpkin Patch jacket at their apartment block unit on Woodstock Ave at Mount Druitt.
She was reported missing on Sunday morning after her mother discovered the empty bed and the front door ajar, although it showed no sign of forced entry.
Det Insp Oxford appealed for anyone who may have seen Kiesha in the last few weeks to come forward, as a special strike force, codenamed Jarocin, was set up to coordinate the investigation.
He said July 7 was an important date because that was the day Kiesha's brother Levi was born.
"Somebody must have seen Kiesha and the family during that time," he told reporters at Mount Druitt.
"That's the puzzling part for us, the lack of sightings of the young child.
"I need to find out something that might have been important in her life - has she been exposed to anybody or has something significant happened in that time?"
In an emotional appeal for anyone with information to come forward, Kiesha's mother was barely able to speak through her tears as she described her daughter as "beautiful".
Kiesha's stepfather Robert Smith said the family was going through hell.
He last saw Kiesha when they watched a movie, The Golden Compass, on Saturday night, he said.
"It's been hell'", he said.
"I can't describe how it's been. You don't know until you've been in my shoes.
"It gets harder by the minute."
Mr Smith described his stepdaughter as "always happy, bubbly".
"She loved playing, just like any kid would," he said.
Rodney Jones, father of Kristi and Kiesha's grandfather, said Ms Abrahams believed Kiesha, who loves cats, may have got up in the night to play with one.
"I think someone got her from there," he said.
Det Insp Oxford confirmed Kiesha had been absent from school for the last three weeks and said police were investigating whether the NSW Department of Community Services or other government agencies were previously involved with the family.
Kiesha's step-grandmother, Rebecca Smith, rubbished speculation about the schoolgirl's welfare in the days before she disappeared.
"These people are suffering and in turmoil, they're not interested in all this other stupid rubbish," she told Fairfax newspapers.
Det Insp Oxford said police held a genuine hope that Kiesha was alive and well, and nothing sinister should be read into the involvement of the homicide squad.
Police today widened their search, examining Whalan Reserve, an area of parkland about a kilometre west of Kiesha's home.
They then moved on to northern bushland at Bidwill and were due to resume canvassing the neighbourhood later today.
"The clock is ticking," Det Insp Oxford said.
[Source]
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