Mystery remains over sighting of semi-naked schoolgirl

Two days after a semi-naked schoolgirl was reported running bloodied and distressed from a public toilet block in West Auckland, police say there is just one witness and no sign of the girl.

A cleaner reported seeing the girl run from the toilets at Neville Power Memorial Park, Te Atatu South, about 10am on Friday, and said a man emerged from the toilets soon afterwards and left in a car.

But today police said there had been no further sightings or witnesses.

"There is still no explanation at this point as to what happened as nobody has come forward to identify the young girl and there have been no other independent witnesses," Detective Sergeant Murray Free of Henderson CIB said in a statement.

The girl was reported to be aged about nine, caucasian, thin, barefooted, with mousy coloured hair in pigtails, wearing a pale blue T-shirt and with blood on her legs.

In an unusual twist, the cleaner may have cleaned up blood in the toilet block that would have been important forensic evidence, the Herald on Sunday newspaper reported today.

Mr Free would not comment on blood being mopped up but said forensic samples from the scene were taken.

Meanwhile, residents of the area have said suspicious activity around the area was not uncommon.

"We're always looking over there to make sure the kids are okay," Valerie Beeby told the Sunday Star-Times newspaper.

"There's one guy, he waits until nobody's around, then goes into the men's toilet with his magazines for 40 minutes, then goes into the women's toilets.

"He's weird, I see him all the time."

Another resident, Talila Sa'u, told the newspaper people got stoned in the park.

"There's little kids starting fires. Practically every week there are people having fights."

Mr Free has previously said an explanation for the sighting could be the girl was simply having trouble with her period.

- NZPA