Police have urged residents in the Drylaw area to search gardens and outbuildings to help trace three year old Mikaeel Kular who went missing from his family home in Ferry Gait Crescent overnight.
Speaking at a press conference outside former Police Headquarters at Fettes Avenue, Superintendent Liz McAinsh said: “Mikaeel is a three year old boy who was put to his bed by his mother at 9pm last night and when she woke up this morning at 7.15 Mikaeel was not in his bed and was not within his house.
“Police have been involved since that time. We have a live, ongoing search of the local area from where he is missing in Ferry Gait Crescent in Edinburgh.
“We are focusing our search at the moment in the Pennywell area, the Muirhouse area of Drylaw in Edinburgh.
“We are asking everybody who lives in that area, or who passes through that area or who works in that area, to keep their eyes open for this wee boy.
“He was last seen last night at 9 ‘clock. He is a British boy who us of Asian parents. He is about 3ft tall. We believe that he is wearing possibly a beige jacket, blue jogging trousers and brown Clarke’s shoes.
“He is obviously just three years old so he won’t know his way about the local area.
“Anybody who sees him, we would ask to look after his safety and get in contact with the police. I would ask local residents to think about their own homes, gardens and outbuildings, and have a look anywhere you think a three year old boy might be.
“If you are walking in the locality then keep your eyes open.
“At this stage we are keeping an open mind and are following up all lines of enquiry that we have.
“There is no evidence to suggest criminality at the moment, but clearly we are keeping an open mind.
“We are a big organisation now at Police Scotland and we are using all of the resources at our disposal to look for this three year old boy.
“My appeal here today is for you to help us in our search for Mikaeel and to report any sightings to the police obviously help the child in the first instance but please report any sightings to us.
When questioned about custody issues, Superintendent McAinsh said: “There are no concern that we have at the moment, we are following all lines of enquiry. The family have been very helpful, as you can imagine Mikaeel’s mother is distraught and she wants our help and the public’s help to find her little boy. I am not aware of any custody issues at the moment. There are many lines of enquiry and one of them will be to speak to Mikaeel’s father
When pressed on this issue, she continued: “We are speaking to all the family members who have had any contact with Mikaeel and will continue to do so. We are speaking to all the family members who have had any contact with Mikaeel.
“In the family home last night was Mikaeel’s mother and the other four siblings including Mikaeel’s twin sister as well.
When asked specifically whether police had spoken to Mikaeel’s father and knew of his whereabouts, she responded: “They could be speaking to his father at the moment. We are endeavouring to speak to all of his family members, obviously one of whom is his father.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
