Attribute to Inspector Bruce O’Brien, Area Commander for Waitemata North:

The police search for Waitakere woman Michelle Simpson is now into its third day and unfortunately she remains missing.

Michelle was last seen walking along Wairere Road at around 11.30am on Monday morning and has not been seen since.

Over the past 48 hours, Police and Land SAR crews have conducted an extensive ground search of the area around where Michelle was last seen.

The main focus of our ground search has been on the surrounding streets – Wairere Road, Caton Road, Gregory Road and Horseman Roads.

The search has been made more challenging with the rural location and Police have been searching dense bush as part of our efforts.

Eagle helicopter has also conducted multiple aerial searches and unfortunately there have been no confirmed sightings of Michelle.

Inspector Bruce O’Brien says while Police are hoping that Michelle will be located safe, concerns are growing due to the length of time since she was last seen.

“We are doing everything we can to find Michelle and return her safely to her family.”

“We will continue to search the area by land and by air and today we have widened our search area.”

Michelle is 50-years-old with short brown hair and is mentally impaired.

She may be confused and disorientated and it’s possible she may have become lost and sought shelter somewhere.

She was last seen wearing a gold-coloured cardigan, a red floral medium-length dress and was possibly wearing a woven green/blue floppy hat.

She was also carrying a patterned cream-coloured tote bag.

Inspector O’Brien, Area Commander for Waitemata North, says the community has displayed great unity, with everyone coming together in an effort to locate Michelle.

“I know many local residents have been greatly concerned for Michelle and I want to thank everyone who has helped by checking their properties or spreading the word to help locate her.

“I also want to thank the volunteers from our local community who have gone around knocking on doors in the neighbourhood and doing leaflet drops.”

Inspector O’Brien urges anyone who thinks they may have spotted someone matching Michelle’s description since Monday morning to contact Waitemata Crime Squad on 09 839 0697.

“Any information, no matter how small it may seem, is crucial to us at this stage so please contact us if you think you may have seen Michelle.”

ENDS

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