Aisling's family close web page after 'silly' messages

Flowers, cards and gifts left for the Symes family were bundled up and taken to the Ranui Baptist Church yesterday. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Aisling Symes' family have had to shut down the wall on their Facebook page after "silly" messages were found.

Tens of thousands of people from around the world have sent their support to Aisling's family online.

Facing a cauldron of media and public attention, the Symes family have used social networking websites to update the search for Aisling, thank supporters, distribute posters and even warn off offers of psychic help.

The moderator of the family's Facebook page, Find Aisling Symes, has posted a note to say 99 per cent of the messages have been positive but one per cent had been "silly".

It appears some of the messages were highly offensive.

"It was too hard for me to keep up with and delete those things, I think some kind of mob randomly joined tonight just to cause trouble. There was so many all at once for no reason and it's really not helpful and those few have spoilt it for everyone else, sorry," a post on the page said.

The post went on to say that the wall may be re-opened tomorrow and asked people to be considerate because the family use the site.

More than 24,000 members have joined the Facebook group and left thousands of messages of sympathy and grief on the page since its creation last week.

The family broke the news of Aisling's finding on the website yesterday morning.

"I am extremely devastated to have to report to you that Aisling's body has been found in a drain near where she went missing," the message said.

They asked members of the public to pray for the family as "this is going to be the hardest time of our lives and we will need all the prayers we can get".

Website visitors from as far afield as South Africa and Croatia offered poetry and condolences to the family.

A former colleague to Aisling's father Alan wrote to tell the family a prayer meeting was being held on the other side of the world.

Padraig De Burca wrote "The village of Stradbury, Waterford [Ireland] held a short prayer service at St James tonight ... Our school community is in shock today."

An official website for remembering Aisling has also been set up, as well as memorials on myspace and Waikumete Cemetery remembrance page A Memory Tree, where visitors can light virtual candles.

Inspector Gary Davey said the support for the police and family from the local community had been "amazing".

"We have had literally hundreds and hundreds of calls to the 0800 number and visits to the [police] caravan.

"The displays of grief you saw [on Monday night] from the community are a real testament to the local community and the compassion they have and the interest they have in locating Aisling," he said.

A Symes family spokesperson also used the Facebook page to state that the family were not interested in hearing from psychics.

"Please do not suggest psychics, the family are a strong Christian family, and will not consider this under any circumstances," they said. "I know you are all just trying to think of anything to help but it's not helpful for us to see that on here, sorry."

Last Wednesday, Sensing Murder medium Deb Webber said she had details about the case.

"I was walking past the television and [Aisling] popped up, and I went, 'Oh, she's in a ditch, hole, in West Auckland'."

- With NZHERALD STAFF