Police wind down hunt for Lucas

Four-year-old Lucas Ward. Photo / Supplied

As police pull out of the search for 4-year-old Lucas Ward, the head of the investigation has admitted the Gisborne preschooler may never be found.

But Lucas' family are not giving up hope, and will continue looking for him.

"We'll always be hopeful," said his grandfather Mark Hunt. "There will always be hope for him, and his spirit will always be there.

"We really haven't lost him yet. We're a long, long away from that point. We're going to just be very hopeful that we can come up with some sort of miracle."

Lucas wandered from his grandparents' Graham Rd home about 3pm on Tuesday.

Divers have spent five days scouring the Waimata River behind the house and yesterday extended the search upstream and down towards the Gisborne Harbour entrance.

Yesterday, Coastguard members and lifeguards on paddle-boards and inflatable boats searched the harbour and city beaches. Foot searches along the river continued.

Area police commander Inspector Sam Aberahama said the searches had been "exhaustive and complex" and police had told Lucas' parents yesterday of their plans to pull the dive team out.

"This is not the news any family of a missing person wants to hear, but there has to come a time when we have to bring the search to a close. I believe this is the right time.

"They have a lot of friends and family and I'm sure they will continue to look for him."

Mr Aberahama said Coastguard personnel would also continue searching.

"I am confident the immediate area where Lucas went missing and all extended areas have been meticulously searched.

"He could be in the river or he could have met with some sort of accident somewhere. We have continually kept an open mind as to what might have happened to him."

Police had not discounted the possibility of foul play, but there was nothing to indicate anything sinister had happened to Lucas.

- additional reporting: NZPA